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■ '  Forward  ! ' '  shouted  the  captain  in  a  loud,  clear  voice. 

{Page  33.)     Frontispiece. 


FIGHTING  IN 
FRANCE 


BY 
ROSS     KAY 

Author  of  "The  Search  for  the  Spy,"  "With  Joffre  on  the 
Battle  Line,"  "Battling  on  the  Somme,"  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY 

CHARLES  L  WRENN 


PUBLISHERS 

BARSE    &    CO. 

NEW  YORK,  N.  Y.  NEWARK,  N.  J. 


Copyright,  1916 

by 
BARSS  &  CO. 


Printed  fn  the  United  States  of  Amertod 


CONTENTS 

OBAPTEB  PAOB 

I    A  Duel  in  the  Aib 11 

II    Preparations 21 

III  The  Attack 30 

IV  Underground '  .     .     38 

V    Hand  to  Hand 47 

VI    Under  Fire 56 

VII    In  the  Ditch 65 

VIII    A  Midnight  Sally 73 

IX    A  Captured  Trench 81 

X    A  Ball  op  Twine 94 

XI    Relieved 102 

XII    In   Review 110 

XIII  A  Volunteer 119 

XIV  In  the  Chateau 129 

XV  The  Fight  for  the  Tower     ....  137 

XVI    The  Dug-out 145 

XVII    LippEN  Breaks 155 

XVIII    An  Assignment        163 

XIX    Over  the  Trenches 173 

XX    At  Flambeau 181 

XXI    Disabled 189 

XXII    In  the  Clearing 199 

XXIII  In  the  Dark 208 

XXIV  The  Return 217 

XXV    Back  Again 224 

XXVI    The  Big  War 232 

XXVII    Conclusion 239 


2136549 


FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 


w 


CHAPTER  I 

A  DUEL   IN   THE   AIR 

'  ^'W  T  T^ELL,  Leon,  it  looks  as  if  there  was 
going  to  be  a  fight  around  here 
pretty  soon." 

**  Right  you  are,  Earl.  That  suits  me  all  right 
though  and  from  the  way  the  rest  of  the  men  are 
acting  it  seems  to  suit  them  too." 

Earl  and  Leon  Piatt,  two  American  boys  in  the 
army  of  the  French  Republic,  were  seated  outside 
their  quarters  behind  the  fighting  line.  The 
scene  was  in  Champagne,  one  of  the  provinces  of 
France  that  already  had  witnessed  some  of  the 
heaviest  fighting  of  the  Big  War. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  great  European  struggle 
these  twin  brothers  had  been  traveling  in  Europe. 
Earl  was  in  England  with  friends  and  Leon  was 
visiting  his  aunt  and  uncle  in  a  suburb  just  out- 
side of  Paris.    At  the  earliest  possible  moment 

11 


12  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

Leon  had  enlisted  in  the  French  army.  Assigned 
to  the  aviation  corps  he  had  taken  part  in  the 
great  retreat  from  Belgium  to  the  gates  of  the 
French  capital.  Slightly  wounded  at  Charleroi, 
he  had  been  in  one  of  the  hospitals  for  a  few  days. 

When  his  wound  had  healed  he  had  made  his 
way  south,  arriving  in  time  to  take  part  in  the 
battle  of  the  Marne  which  rolled  back  the  tide  of 
German  invasion  and  saved  France.  Through 
all  these  varying  experiences  and  hardships 
Jacques  Dineau,  a  young  Frenchman,  had  been 
his  inseparable  companion.  These  two  boys,  for 
they  were  nothing  more  than  that,  had  more  than 
once  distinguished  themselves  for  bravery  and 
daring  until  they  had  become  the  favorites  of  their 
regiment.  Now  they  were  stationed  in  Cham- 
pagne, in  the  trenches,  where  for  weeks  and 
months  both  sides  had  been  deadlocked,  neither 
able  to  push  the  other  back. 

With  the  declaration  of  war  Leon's  parents  had 
naturally  been  anxious  as  to  his  safety  and  not 
hearing  from  him  had  instructed  Earl  to  find  his 
missing  brother  at  all  hazards.  This  Earl  had 
endeavored  to  do  and  after  many  kinds  of  adven- 
tures had  finally  been  successful.  The  lure  of 
further  adventure  however  had  attracted  him  and 


A  DUEL  IN  THE  AIB  13 

he  too  had  enlisted.  Now  all  three  boys  were  in 
the  same  company  of  the  same  regiment. 

*'Yes,  sir,"  exclaimed  Jacques,  who  spoke  Eng- 
lish with  only  the  slightest  suspicion  of  an  accent, 
*' there  will  certainly  be  some  real  fighting  soon. 
It  will  seem  good  after  all  these  months  of  quiet." 

"I  shouldn't  describe  them  as  especially  quiet," 
laughed  Earl  grimly. 

"I  mean,"  explained  Jacques,  *'that  we  have 
been  in  the  trenches  all  the  time.  Now  we  will 
have  a  chance  to  get  out  of  them;  perhaps  for 
good." 

*'If  we  can  break  the  German  lines,"  suggested 
Leon. 

**We  will  give  them  an  awful  bump  anyway,*' 
laughed  Jacques. 

**And  we'll  lose  half  our  men,"  added  Leon 
soberly. 

**We  do  not  think  of  that,"  exclaimed  Jacques 
proudly.  **We  are  assigned  to  the  front  line,  the 
post  of  honor.  We  will  lead  the  charge  and  I 
think  we  are  very  lucky. ' ' 

**The  other  regiments  are  jealous  of  us 
anyway,"  said  Earl.  *'When  does  the  attack 
start?" 

** To-morrow  morning  at  nine-fifteen  sharp." 


14  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

*'And  we'll  move  into  the  first  line  trenches  to- 
night I  suppose/' 

**  Exactly." 

*' That's  it,"  exclaimed  Leon.  "Pierre  Gare- 
mont  told  me  not  thirty  minutes  ago  that  he  had 
just  been  talking  with  Captain  Le  Blanc  and  that 
was  the  information  he  received." 

**I  suppose  everything  is  arranged,"  said  EarL 

**You  may  be  sure  of  that,"  said  Jacques 
heartily.  **Our  officers  are  not  the  kind  to  send 
us  into  a  battle  without  doing  everything  that  is 
possible." 

*' Think  of  the  artillery  support  we'll  have," 
cried  Leon  enthusiastically.  ''I  don't  see  how 
they  can  stop  us." 

"How  much  will  we  have?"  demanded  Earl. 

"Our  guns  will  drop  four  shells  every  minute 
in  every  yard  of  German  trenches.  Think  of 
that." 

"You  mean,"  exclaimed  Earl,  "that  in  every 
space  three  feet  long  a  shell  will  explode  every 
fifteen  seconds?" 

"I  certainly  do." 

"It  seems  incredible,"  muttered  Earl.  "Why, 
there  '11  be  nothing  left  of  them. ' ' 

"That  is  just  what  we  want,"  cried  Jacques. 


A  DUEL  IN  THE  AIR  15 

**Wheii  we  smash  their  trenches  to  pieces  then  we 
can  drive  them  out  of  our  country  and  France  will 
be  free  once  more. ' ' 

**I  suppose  our  batteries  will  all  have  the  exact 
range,"  said  Earl. 

*'You  need  not  worry  about  that,"  smiled 
Jacques.  "The  exact  location  of  every  German 
trench  is  marked  to  the  inch  on  our  oflBcers'  maps. 
What  do  you  think  our  aviators  are  for?  Don't 
you  know  that  they  take  pictures  of  the  enemy's 
fortifications  from  their  machines  and  that  all  the 
pictures  are  developed  and  enlarged?  Oh,  they'll 
have  the  range  all  right.    You'll  see." 

"Look!"  cried  Leon  suddenly.  "Here  comes 
one  of  our  aerial  scouts  now." 

Far  away  in  the  eastern  sky  a  tiny  speck  ap- 
peared. It  approached  rapidly  and  increased  in 
size  as  it  came  nearer.  At  least  four  thousand 
feet  above  the  trenches  the  great  mechanical  bird 
flew  and  the  three  young  soldiers  watched  it  in 
silent  admiration. 

Suddenly  a  puff  of  white  smoke  appeared  below 
the  aeroplane. 

"The  Germans  are  firing  at  it,"  cried  Earl. 

"And  there  goes  one  of  their  machines  up  after 
it,"  exclaimed  Jacques  as  another  speck  appeared 


16  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

against  the  horizon.  It  was  lower  than  the 
French  machine  but  rose  in  great  circles  with 
amazing  speed  until  it  had  reached  a  point  above 
its  enemy.  At  this  point  it  headed  west  and  sped 
in  pursuit  of  the  French  aeroplane. 

**One  of  those  new  fokkers,"  remarked  Jacques 
quickly. 

**The  German  machine,  you  mean?"  queried 
Leon. 

**Yes.    They  are  very  fast  too." 

*'He'll  never  come  over  our  line  though,"  said 
Earl.    '  *  He  'U  turn  back  soon.  *  * 

**  There  goes  another  of  our  machines  up  to 
help,"  exclaimed  Leon. 

From  the  aviation  field  in  the  rear  of  their  quar- 
ters came  a  great  clatter  and  noise.  A  moment 
later  a  big  monoplane  came  into  view  and  rising 
rapidly  higher  and  higher  set  out  to  the  aid  of  its 
companion. 

Meanwhile  the  first  aviator,  pursued  by  the  Ger- 
man fokker,  had  evidently  determined  to  give 
battle.  He  dipped  suddenly  and  shot  downward 
at  incredible  speed.  All  about  him  the  bombs 
from  the  high-angle  guns  of  the  enemy  were  ex- 
ploding and  it  did  not  seem  possible  that  he  could 
escape.     The  cheering  of  their  comrades  in  the 


A  DUEL  IN  THE  AIR  17 

trenches  came  faintly  to  the  ears  of  the  three 
watching  boys. 

''He'll  be  hit,"  cried  Leon  tensely. 

''Wait,"  cautioned  Jacques. 

The  aeroplane  still  raced  towards  the  earth. 
Suddenly  it  began  to  rise  and  up,  up,  it  soared. 
Higher  and  higher  it  went,  describing  huge  circles 
in  its  flight.  The  little  white  clouds  all  about  told 
with  what  zeal  its  destruction  was  sought,  but  still 
it  kept  on.  Now  it  had  reached  a  level  as  high  as 
the  giant  fokker.  Meanwhile  the  other  French 
machine  raced  to  its  aid. 

"You'll  see  the  German  turn  back  now,"  pre- 
dicted Jacques. 

"Why  shouldn't  he?"  demanded  Earl.  "It's 
two  to  one. ' ' 

"His  only  hope  is  to  disable  the  first  machine 
before  the  other  comes  up,"  said  Jacques. 
"Otherwise  he'll  have  to  run  for  it." 

"How  high  do  you  suppose  they  are  now!" 
asked  Earl. 

"Five  thousand  feet,"  said  Leon.  "Is  that 
about  right,  Jacques?" 

"I  should  think  so;  just  about,"  replied  the 
young  Frenchman. 

Almost  every  soldier  in  the  great  camp  was 


18  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

standing,  gazing  skyward  at  the  combat  going  on 
among  the  clouds  over  their  heads.  These  duels 
in  the  air  were  not  infrequent  but  they  never  lost 
their  power  to  thrill.  To  see  two  huge  mechanical 
birds  each  maneuvering  for  a  chance  to  strike  a 
death  blow  to  its  rival  was  a  sight  to  stir  the 
blood  of  any  man,  no  matter  how  often  he  had  seen 
its  duplicate  before. 

"What  did  I  tell  you?"  demanded  Jacques  sud- 
denly. 

The  fokker  turned  at  the  approach  of  its  second 
enemy  and  in  full  retreat  made  for  the  German 
lines.  The  two  French  machines  did  not  attempt 
a  pursuit,  but  after  one  or  two  triumphant  cir- 
cles were  headed  for  home.  A  few  moments  later 
they  passed  directly  over  the  spot  where  the  three 
young  soldiers  were  seated,  on  their  way  to  their 
respective  hangars. 

''Why  didn't  they  chase  that  fellow?"  ex- 
claimed Leon.  "They  were  two  to  one  and  it 
seems  to  me  they  had  a  great  chance  to  bring  him 
down." 

"You  must  remember  this,"  Jacques  reminded 
him.  "He  had  a  good  start  on  them  and,  if  any- 
thing, had  a  faster  machine  than  theirs.  Then 
that  scout  of  ours  may  have  very  important  news 


A  DUEL  IN  THE  AIR  19 

for  headquarters  as  a  result  of  his  observations. 
He  probably  wants  to  report  as  soon  as  he  can.'* 

''That's  true,"  said  Leon.  "I  had  almost  for- 
gotten this  attack  to-morrow  I  got  so  excited 
watching  the  aeroplanes." 

''You  started  to  tell  what  Captain  Le  Blanc 
said,"  Earl  reminded  his  brother.  "Go  ahead 
and  finish  what  you  heard. ' ' 

"Well,"  said  Leon,  "he  said  that  everything 
was  ready.  He  even  knew  the  number  of  German 
batteries  that  will  be  opposed  to  us ;  he  also  knew 
just  what  regiments  hold  the  line  opposite.  He 
said  that  along  the  whole  length  of  our  front  line 
steps  had  been  cut  in  the  trenches  so  that  we  can 
climb  out  easily.  The  barbed-wire  entanglements 
have  had  little  lanes  cut  through  them  every  few 
feet  so  we  can  get  through  without  any  trouble." 

"Whew,"  whistled  Earl.  "It  looks  as  if  we 
meant  business  all  right." 

"We  surely  do,"  agreed  Leon.  "We're  to 
carry  along  bridging  to  form  pathways  across  the 
German  trenches  so  we  can  bring  up  our  guns  and 
supplies  quickly.  All  shoes  and  extra  clothes  and 
blankets  are  to  be  turned  into  the  quartermaster; 
every  man  is  to  put  on  clean  underclothes  so  that 
if  he  is  wounded  he  won't  be  infected.    You're 


20  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

to  have  your  gas-masks  ready  and  every  one  will 
receive  one  hundred  and  thirty  extra  rounds, 
making  two  hundred  and  fifty  in  all.*' 

**When  do  we  move  into  the  trenches?"  asked 
Jacques. 

**Ten  o'clock  to-night.*' 

**And  final  inspection  is  when?" 

**One  hour  before  that." 

*'We'd  better  get  ready,"  exclaimed  Jacques. 
**It's  almost  supper-time  now  and  we've  got  lots 
to  do." 

Every  man  who  passed  their  tent  seemed  to  be 
tmusually  business-like.  No  one  seemed  nervous 
or  worried,  but  perhaps  a  little  more  serious  than 
usual.  But  there  was  not  a  man  among  all  those 
thousands  who  was  not  glad  that  on  the  morrow 
he  was  to  come  up  out  of  his  hole  in  the  ground 
and  meet  his  enemy  face  to  face.  An  air  of  quiet 
confidence  pervaded  the  camp ;  the  air  was  full  of 
it  and  one  glance  at  these  grim-visaged  warriors 
of  France  was  enough  to  convince  any  observer 
that  they  were  eager  for  the  battle  to  come. 


CHAPTER  n 

PREPABATIONS 

AT  nine  o'clock  that  evening  all  arrange- 
ments had  been  completed  and  the  final 
inspection  held.  The  last  letters  were 
deposited  at  the  regimental  post-office,  a  most 
solemn  ceremony.  Many  a  long  thought  passed 
through  the  minds  of  the  soldiers  as  they  mailed 
what  might  he  their  final  messages  to  their  loved 
ones. 

''I  don't  like  this  business  of  hanging  around," 
whispered  Jacques  in  Leon's  ear.  "I'd  like  to 
get  started." 

"So  should  I,"  agreed  Leon.  "It  seems  sort  of 
weird  standing  here  in  the  darkness  with  thou- 
sands of  men  all  about  you,  all  waiting  for  the 
same  order  that  we  are." 

The  night  was  clear  and  the  stars  were  un- 
usually brilliant.  Not  a  cloud  appeared  and  the 
long  lines  of  troops  resting  on  their  arms  looked 
like  misshapen  hedgerows  in  the  faint  light.    The 

21 


22  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

roar  of  the  French  artillery  came  distinctly  to 
the  ears  of  these  men  who  stood  and  waited. 
Every  man  knew  why  it  was  that  its  activity  was 
so  greatly  increased  that  night.  Their  guns  were 
playing  a  stream  of  metal  death  on  every  yard 
and  foot  and  inch  of  the  opposing  trenches.  Not  a 
spot  in  the  German  lines  but  was  being  searched 
by  these  great  mechanical  monsters. 

** Listen!"  warned  Earl  suddenly. 

Nearby  some  man  had  started  to  sing  the 
Marseillaise.  Soon  others  joined  in  and  the 
chorus  swelled  as  man  after  man  lent  his  voice 
to  that  stirring  anthem.  In  a  few  moments  every 
soldier  present  was  singing  and  even  the  roar 
of  the  great  guns  became  faint  and  indistinct  as 
the  thousands  of  throats  chanted  the  great  hymn 
of  victory. 

A  thrill  ran  up  and  down  Leon's  spine.  He 
used  to  regard  the  Marseillaise  as  the  national 
anthem  and  had  often  heard  it  sung  without  any 
particular  feeling.  Since  the  war  had  started, 
however,  it  had  seemed  different  to  him.  As  the 
soldiers  sang  it,  biting  out  each  word  sharp  and 
short,  it  had  become  a  battle-cry.  He  realized 
how  terribly  in  earnest  these  Frenchmen  were 


PEEPAEATIONS  23 

who  stood  there  in  the  darkness  and  hurled  de- 
fiance at  their  German  foes. 

At  length  the  order  came  to  move.  Slowly  the 
column  moved  out  of  the  camp  and  turning  to  the 
right  marched  down  the  road  leading  to  the 
trenches.  On  both  the  right  and  left  could  be 
seen  other  columns  moving  in  parallel  lines  and 
in  the  same  direction. 

**Who  are  they!"  whispered  Earl. 

"I  can't  tell,"  replied  Jacques  in  answer  to  his 
comrade's  query.  *'  Both  regiments  are  attached 
to  our  division  though,  I  think." 

Slowly  and  at  the  same  pace  the  three  columns 
advanced.  The  men  were  unusually  quiet  and 
none  of  the  customary  bantering  was  present. 
Perhaps  every  man  was  busied  with  the  thought 
of  what  was  going  to  happen  to  him  at  quarter 
past  nine  the  next  day. 

''This  seems  like  a  funeral  march,"  exclaimed 
Leon  in  a  low  voice. 

"And  I  don't  like  it,  either,"  added  Earl. 

"Wait,"  cautioned  Jacques.  "  Everyone's 
spirits  will  revive  in  a  few  minutes.  The  strain 
will  wear  off  soon." 

His  prediction  proved  to  be  correct.  A  short 
time  later  the  pace  was  quickened  and  the  murmur 


24  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

of  low-voiced  conversations  could  be  heard.  The 
men  even  began  to  tease  one  another  and  tell 
jokes.  It  seemed  almost  incredible  that  men  pre- 
paring to  face  what  they  were  to  meet  on  the 
morrow  could  be  so  light-hearted. 

**Here  we  come  to  the  trenches,"  exclaimed 
Jacques.    ''What  time  is  it?" 

''Just  eleven  o'clock,"  said  Earl,  consulting  his 
watch. 

"An  hour  so  far,"  murmured  Jacques. 

One  by  one  the  soldiers  filed  into  the  trench. 
All  talking  ceased  and  mile  after  mile  they  moved 
forward.  In  single-file  the  men  marched  through 
the  communicating  trench.  Every  little  while  a 
lateral  trench  appeared  and  as  they  came  closer 
to  the  front  these  trenches  increased  in  number. 
The  roar  of  the  giant  guns  steadily  became  louder 
and  louder. 

Soon  the  lateral  trenches  became  very  numer- 
ous. Every  one  was  filled  with  soldiers,  their 
arms  resting  on  the  ground.  They  eyed  the  regi- 
ment filing  past  them  enviously  and  were  appar- 
ently curious  to  know  why  it  had  been  selected  to 
lead  the  charge  in  preference  to  themselves. 

"Who  are  you?"  demanded  one  man. 

*'La  douzieme,"  said  Jacques. 


PREPARATIONS  25 

*'Ah,"  said  the  man.    *'I  see." 

It  was  a  famous  regiment  to  which  these  three 
boys  belonged  and  its  record  for  daring  and  brav- 
ery was  known  by  all  the  army.  No  wonder  it 
had  been  chosen  to  lead  the  advance.  If  anyone 
could  get  through,  la  douzieme  was  that  one.  A 
feeling  of  confidence  pervaded  the  regiment  and 
the  knowledge  that  the  army  shared  that  feeling 
was  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  every  member. 

**Look!"  exclaimed  Leon  suddenly.  **What 
place  is  this?" 

** There's  not  much  left  of  it  whatever  it  is," 
replied  Jacques  grimly. 

The  regiment  had  suddenly  emerged  from  the 
trench  into  the  street  of  a  village.  At  least  it  had 
once  been  a  village,  but  only  its  ghost  now  re- 
mained. Every  house  had  been  bombarded  and 
battered  until  now  there  was  standing  only  bare 
walls,  when  indeed  they  had  been  spared. 

''There's  the  moon,"  whispered  Earl  suddenly. 
**I  saw  it  over  my  right  shoulder.  That  means 
good  luck." 

''We'll  need  it,"  said  Leon  grimly. 

Down  the  ruined  village  street  the  march  con- 
tinued and  then  another  trench  swallowed  them 
up.     Straight  ahead  they  went  and  then  turned 


26  FIGHTING  IN  FEANCE 

sharply  to  the  right.  A  short  distance  and  they 
swung  to  the  left.  Finally  the  advance  ceased 
and  the  men  came  to  rest. 

* 'We're  in  the  first  line  trench,"  whispered 
Jacques. 

''You  don't  have  to  teU  me  that,"  exclaimed 
Leon. 

"Look  here,"  cried  Earl  who  was  peering  cau- 
tiously through  one  of  the  holes  made  for  the 
rifles. 

Following  his  instructions  Jacques  and  Leon 
could  see  the  French  shells  exploding  in  the  op- 
posing trenches.  Big  and  little  they  were,  and 
had  somewhat  the  appearance  of  a  great  display 
of  fireworks.  The  noise  was  beyond  description. 
So  fast  did  the  shells  burst  that  they  seemed  all 
to  be  part  of  one  continuous  explosion.  The  Ger- 
man return  fire  only  added  to  the  din. 

"They  say,"  shouted  Jacques  after  a  consulta- 
tion with  the  man  next  to  him,  "that  only  the 
German  long  range  guns  are  doing  any  damage." 

"I  hope  they  don't  find  us  here,"  said  Leon 
grimly.  "I  want  to  live  long  enough  to  get  into 
this  fight  to-morrow  anyway." 

"How  big  are  those  long-range  cannon  of  the 
Germans?"  asked  Earl. 


PREPARATIONS  27 

"Ten-inch,"  said  Leon.  **  They 're  good  ones 
too." 

** Can't  they  use  the  42-centimeter  guns  out 
here?" 

**No,  they're  for  smashing  forts.  They're 
mortars,  you  know." 

**None  of  them  compare  with  our  75 's,"  ex- 
claimed Jacques  proudly. 

"That  is,  for  field  work,  you  mean,"  said  Leon. 

"Yes.  And  no  gunners  can  compare  with  the 
French,  either." 

"That's  been  proved  to  every  one's  satisfaction, 
I  guess,"  Leon  agreed. 

It  seemed  remarkable  that  these  three  boys  could 
stand  in  the  front  line  trenches  of  the  greatest 
battlefield  the  world  has  ever  known  and  calmly 
discuss  the  merits  of  the  rival  artillery.  Such  is 
the  effect  of  war,  however.  It  seems  as  if  a  man 
can  become  accustomed  to  almost  anything,  and 
after  weeks  and  months  on  the  battle-line  the 
artillery  duels  and  the  ever-present  death  be- 
come matters  of  unconcern  to  the  ordinary  sol- 
dier. 

"We  ought  to  get  some  sleep,"  Jacques  an- 
nounced finally. 

"Can  any  one  sleep  here?"  demanded  Earl. 


28  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**I  think  I  can,"  said  Jacques.  **I'm  healthy 
and  I'm  tired." 

**We  can  lie  right  down  here  in  the  trench,'- 
suggested  Leon.  '*We  can  use  our  knapsacks  for 
pillows  and  maybe  get  a  little  sleep. ' ' 

''This  is  no  place  for  a  man  who's  nervous," 
laughed  Jacques  as  a  German  shell  whistled  over 
their  heads  and  exploded  with  a  roar  a  short  dis- 
tance behind  their  position. 

"I  should  think  not,"  exclaimed  Earl.  ''Still 
I  don't  suppose  it  will  do  us  any  good  to  keep 
thinking  about  it.  I  suppose  we  might  as  well  try 
to  get  a  little  rest  as  Jacques  advises." 

"Jacques  won't  be  able  to  lie  down,"  laughed 
Leon.    "He's  too  taU." 

"Not  at  all,"  protested  the  young  Frenchman 
quickly,  taking  this  remark  literally.  "I  am  but 
six  feet  two ;  you  and  Earl  are  at  least  six  feet," 

"Not  quite,"  said  Leon.  "At  any  rate  I  was 
only  fooling." 

"I  see,"  said  Jacques  soberly.  He  did  not  al- 
ways catch  the  drift  of  some  of  the  sallies  his 
young  American  friends  made. 

' '  How  about  sleep  I ' '  exclaimed  Earl.  ' '  We  can 
get  some  little  rest  anyway." 

The  three  young  soldiers  followed  the  example 


PBEPAEATIONS  29 

of  most  of  their  companions  in  the  trench  and  lay 
down,  with  their  knapsacks  under  their  heads. 
Still  the  artillery  roared.  Incessant  explosions 
shattered  tlie  night  air,  predicting  the  struggle  to 
take  place  on  the  morrow. 


T 


CHAPTER  in 

THE  ATTACK 

*  'r  ■  ^HE  cannonade  is  worse  than  it  was  last 
night." 
**I  think  you're  right,  Leon,"  Jacques 
agreed.    *  *  That  is  quite  natural  though. ' ' 

"As  a  final  effort  I  suppose,"  said  Leon. 

''Exactly." 

"Here's  breakfast,"  shouted  Earl,  trying  to 
make  himself  heard  above  the  roar  of  the  artillery. 
"That  coffee  looks  good." 

Hot  coffee  was  furnished  to  every  man  and  a 
meal  was  made  of  bread,  sardines  and  cheese. 

"What's  the  time?"  asked  Jacques. 

"Eight- thirty,"  replied  Earl. 

"Three  quarters  of  an  hour  more,"  sighed 
Jacques.    "I  wish  it  was  time  to  start." 

"Look  here,"  cried  Leon  beckoning  to  his  two 
companions.  He  was  peering  out  from  one  of 
the  low  places  in  the  parapet  and  Jacques  and 
Earl  quickly  took  their  places  beside  him. 

30 


THE  ATTACK  31 

"You  can  see  the  German  barbed  wire  in  front 
of  their  trenches,"  said  Leon  excitedly.  **Do  you 
suppose  we'll  ever  reach  that!" 

"We'll  go  right  on  over  it,"  said  Jacques  con- 
fidently.   "Don't  you  worry  about  that." 

The  scene  was  fascinating  to  the  three  boys.  So 
it  was  also  to  their  comrades  in  the  regiment.  As 
far  as  one  could  see  in  either  direction  along  the 
trench  men  were  lined  up,  waiting  for  the  word  to 
advance  and  now  and  then  stealing  a  glance  out 
across  the  field  that  stretched  between  them  and 
their  goal. 

"We  are  to  keep  in  line  with  those  two  big  trees 
on  the  hill  yonder,"  said  Jacques,  pointing  to  a 
spot  behind  the  German  positions.  "As  long 
as  we  keep  headed  for  them  we  will  be  all 
right." 

"That  ought  to  be  easy  enough,"  exclaimed 
Leon. 

Suddenly  the  command  was  passed  down  the 
line  for  every  man  to  be  ready.  Leon  glanced  at 
his  watch ;  it  was  just  nine  o  'clock.  Every  knap- 
sack was  hoisted  to  its  owner's  back  and  guns  in 
hand  the  men  began  to  file  along  the  trench. 

Thicker  and  ever  faster  the  shells  rained  down. 
The  French  guns  roared  continuously,  doing  their 


32  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

utmost  to  clear  the  way  for  the  infantry  which 
was  to  sally  forth  so  soon. 

All  at  once  a  whistle  sounded.  The  long  line 
halted  abruptly.  A  sharp  command  followed  and 
with  a  rattle  the  bayonets  were  fixed  to  the  rifles. 
Once  again  the  whistle  sounded;  this  time  twice. 
Every  man  made  the  final  adjustment  of  his  equip- 
ment and  glanced  at  his  neighbor's  to  see  if  it 
too  was  in  order. 

*'Good  luck,"  said  Jacques  and  he  extended  his 
right  hand  to  Leon  and  Earl  in  turn.  They  shook 
hands  solemnly  and  the  twin  brothers  standing 
side  by  side  gripped  each  other's  hand  without 
a  word. 

Leon  looked  along  the  line.  Many  of  the  men 
were  grinning.  Most  of  them  were  white  and 
their  faces  were  drawn.  The  young  American 
felt  queer;  somehow  he  did  not  feel  real.  Every- 
thing about  him  seemed  to  be  taking  place  as  in 
a  dream.    He  could  not  realize  it  all. 

**What  are  we  waiting  for?"  he  asked  of 
Jacques  and  his  voice  sounded  faint  and  far  away. 

Before  he  could  receive  an  answer  a  German 
shell  suddenly  burst  close  at  hand.  A  ^whisper 
ran  along  the  line  that  a  corporal  and  four  men 
were  hit.    Another  shell  burst  close  to  the  same 


THE  ATTACK  33 

spot.  Evidently  the  Germans  had  found  the 
range. 

**What  are  we  waiting  forT'  Leon  repeated 
anxiously.  He  glanced  over  Earl's  shoulder 
at  his  watch.  It  was  exactly  quarter  past 
nine. 

Two  blasts  on  the  whistle  sounded.  That  was 
the  signal.  Every  man  clenched  his  jaws  and 
dashed  at  the  trench  wall  in  an  effort  to  be  the 
first  one  to  climb  out.  A  moment  later  and  all 
were  out.  The  gaps  in  the  barbed  wire  that  had 
been  prepared  now  came  into  view  and  the  men 
wormed  their  way  through. 

Once  past  this  and  the  line  was  formed  again. 
Still  together,  Jacques,  Leon,  and  Earl  took  their 
places.  The  command  was  quickly  given  and  at 
double-quick  the  troops  moved  straight  towards 
the  German  lines. 

"Forward !"  shouted  the  captain  in  a  loud,  clear 
voice  that  could  be  heard  even  above  the  din  of 
the  cannonade.    * '  Vive  la  France ! ' ' 

"With  a  shout  the  troops  swept  forward.  From 
the  German  trenches  came  the  sharp  rattle  of  the 
rapid-fire  guns  and  the  noise  of  the  rifles. 
Shells  were  bursting  on  every  side.  The  air  was 
full  of  dirt  and  dust  thrown  up  by  the  explosives. 


34  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

All  along  the  line  gaps  in  the  advancing  line  ap- 
peared, only  to  be  closed  up  quickly  and  auto- 
matically 

The  enemy's  trenches  were  outlined  by  a  long 
row  of  bursting  shells.  From  them  arose  a  thick 
pall  of  smoke,  obscuring  the  German  positions. 
At  the  bottom  appeared  red  and  green  flames,  but 
above  all  was  darkness.  Out  of  the  cloud  came  a 
ceaseless  rain  of  metal,  rifles,  dirt,  cartridges,  and 
even  human  flesh.  The  whole  world  seemed  to 
have  been  suddenly  transformed  into  a  roaring, 
flaming  cauldron. 

Leon  gazed  about  him.  Many  of  his  comrades 
were  down;  he  could  scarcely  recognize  Earl  and 
Jacques,  their  faces  were  so  blackened  by  smoke 
and  dirt.  Holes  appeared  in  the  line  on  both  sides 
of  him.  Not  for  long,  however;  almost  instantly 
the  spaces  filled  up  and  the  advance  was  con- 
tinued. He  looked  at  the  captain  who  was  lead- 
ing the  charge.  Not  one  word  of  orders  could  be 
heard  in  that  terrible  uproar  and  the  officers  had 
to  make  signs  to  their  men. 

Sometimes  the  captain  lay  down;  his  men  im- 
mediately did  the  same.  If  he  pointed  to  J:he  right 
the  troops  veered  to  the  right.  If  he  pointed  to 
the  left  they  swung  to  the  left.    Blindly  they  fol- 


THE  ATTACK  35 

lowed  on.  Closer  and  closer  they  came  to  the 
spot  where  their  own  shells  were  falling.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  leaders  must  be  struck  down  by 
their  own  artillery. 

Suddenly  the  curtain  of  fire  lifted  and  moved 
forward  to  the  next  line  of  trenches.  The  German 
trench  that  had  been  the  object  of  the  furious  bom- 
bardment appeared.  In  many  cases  it  had  been 
simply  blown  to  pieces  and  no  trace  of  it  could  be 
discovered. 

Leon,  Earl,  and  Jacques  had  been  appointed 
*' trench-cleaners."  That  is,  they  were  among 
those  who  had  been  detailed  to  clear  the  enemy 
out  of  all  the  captured  trenches  so  that  there 
would  be  no  danger  of  the  troops  being  attacked 
from  the  rear. 

Into  the  battered  trench  the  three  young  sol- 
diers sprang.  With  them  were  a  dozen  more  of 
their  men.  With  bayonets  aflfixed  they  made  their 
way  along.  The  trench  seemed  to  have  numerous 
spurs  and  it  branched  out  in  many  directions.  On 
the  bottom  lay  many  dead  Germans.  Protruding 
from  one  side  was  the  leg  of  some  luckless  in- 
fantryman who  had  been  buried  alive  by  the  ex- 
plosion of  a  giant  projectile. 

**This  way,"  urged  Jacques  as  he  turned  from 


36  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

the  main  trench  and  darted  down  a  long  passage- 
way. 

"Careful,  Jacques,"  warned  Leon.  "Don't  go 
too  fast." 

"They're  all  dead  in  here,"  cried  the  young 
Frenchman  exultantly.  He  was  taking  an  active 
part  in  ridding  his  country  of  the  invaders  and 
like  anyone  in  those  circumstances  he  reveled  in 
the  task. 

"Don't  be  so  sure  they're  all  dead,"  cried 
Earl.    *  *  You  never  can  tell. ' ' 

Scarcely  had  he  spoken  when  they  came  face  to 
face  with  three  Germans.  With  rifle  grasped 
tightly  in  his  hands  Jacques  was  preparing  to  run 
the  first  of  them  through  when  all  three  of  them 
suddenly  threw  up  their  hands.  *'Kameraden! 
Kameraden!"  they  cried  eagerly. 

"Don't  touch  them,  Jacques,"  shouted  Leon. 
"They're  surrendering." 

It  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment  to  disarm  the 
three  Germans  and  they  were  turned  over  to  one 
of  the  French  soldiers  who  was  directed  to  lead 
them  back  to  his  lines. 

"That  was  easy  enough,"  exclaimed' Jacques 
triumphantly. 

"Those    fellows    were    dazed,"    cried    Leon. 


THE  ATTACK  37 

**They    didn't    know    what    they    were    doing." 

''Who  would?"  demanded  Earl.  *'If  you'd 
been  under  that  bombardment  for  the  last  twenty- 
four  hours  the  way  they  have  been  I  guess  you'd 
be  dazed  yourself." 

"Well,  I  hope  they'll  all  be  that  way,"  said 
Jacques.  **It  won't  take  us  long  in  here  if  they 
are." 

''How  big  is  this  place  anyway?"  said  Earl. 
*'We  must  be  careful  going  around  comers  and 
places  like  that.  We  can't  see  what  is  waiting  for 
us." 

The  three  boys  were  by  themselves  now.  They 
were  many  yards  underground  and  it  was  diffi- 
cult for  them  to  see  their  way  distinctly.  They 
had  just  emerged  into  an  underground  room 
which  was  furnished  with  a  bedstead,  washstand, 
table  and  chairs.  The  light  was  dim  and  the 
three  young  soldiers  could  not  make  out  their 
surroundings  clearly.  Suddenly  they  heard  a 
hoarse  cry  and  the  sound  of  a  heavy  blow. 
Jacques,  who  was  in  the  lead,  fell  to  the  ground 
with  a  groan. 


L 


CHAPTER  IV 

UNDERGEOUND 

' '  "^  OOK  out,  Leon ! ' '  cried  Earl  sharply. 
*  *  Look  out  for  that  fellow. ' ' 
Leon  whirled  swiftly  in  time  to  see  a 
big-helmeted  German  with  the  butt  end  of  his 
rifle  upraised  preparing  to  strike.  He  ducked 
almost  without  thinking  and  the  blow  fell 
harmlessly  on  the  back  of  one  of  the  chairs  in  the 
little  room.  Before  the  gun  could  be  raised  again 
Earl  sprang  upon  their  foe  and  grappled  with 
him. 

He  had  his  bayonet  in  his  hands  but  somehow 
it  did  not  occur  to  him  to  use  it.  Like  most 
Americans  he  preferred  to  fight  with  his  fists,  and 
unconsciously  he  had  discarded  his  rifle.  With 
one  hand  he  seized  the  German  by  the  throat  and 
with  the  other  he  rained  blow  after  blow  upon  his 
great  broad  face.  ,  * 

The  German  however  was  a  powerful  man.  He 
outweighed  the  young  American  by  at  least  thirty 

38 


UNDERGROUND  39 

pounds  and  far  outmatched  him  in  strength. 
With  an  oath  he  turned  upon  the  plucky  boy  and 
a  moment  later  held  him  by  the  throat  with  both 
hands.  Earl's  breath  was  shut  off  short  and 
everything  began  to  turn  black  before  his  eyes. 
He  felt  himself  being  shaken  as  a  terrier  shakes  a 
rat  and  consciousness  began  to  slip  away  from 
him.    He  decided  that  it  was  all  over. 

Suddenly  the  terrible  strangle  hold  on  his 
throat  relaxed  and  with  a  supreme  effort  he 
wrenched  himself  free  and  rose  to  his  feet.  There 
stood  Leon  gazing  down  at  the  German  lying  on 
the  floor  of  the  little  subterranean  apartment. 
One  glance  was  enough  to  show  Earl  what  had 
taken  place. 

**  You  saved  my  life,  Leon,"  he  muttered  weakly. 

**Huh,"  snorted  Leon.  *'I  hated  to  stab  him 
like  that  but  it  was  the  only  thing  to  do." 

"He  wouldn't  have  hesitated  to  fix  us  I  guess," 
exclaimed  Earl.    '* Where's  Jacques?" 

**0n  the  floor  there." 

*'Is  he  dead?" 

*'I  don't  know.  I  haven't  had  a  chance  to  look 
at  him." 

As  they  advanced  towards  their  companion  he 
moved  slightly  and  tried  to  get  up. 


40  FIGHTING  IN  FEANCE 

''How  do  you  feel,  Jacques?  Where  did  he  hit 
you!"  demanded  Leon. 

*'He  just  grazed  my  head,"  murmured  the 
young  Frenchman  weakly. 

* '  Lucky  for  you, ' '  muttered  Earl.  ' '  If  he  'd  ever 
caught  you  squarely  you'd  be  dead  now,  sure 
enough. ' ' 

"Let  me  see  where  you're  hurt,"  exclaimed 
Leon  bending  over  his  friend. 

"It's  not  much  of  a  wound,"  said  Jacques. 
"He  just  stunned  me;  I'll  be  all  right  in  a 
minute." 

"Bring  some  water  and  a  towel  from  that  wash- 
stand  over  there,  Earl,"  Leon  directed  his 
brother. 

This  was  quickly  done  and  the  wound  was 
bathed.  The  skin  had  been  broken  and  the  blood 
flowed  freely,  but  it  was  nothing  serious.  The 
cold  compress  soon  revived  Jacques  and  a  few 
moments  later  he  was  apparently  as  well  as  ever. 

* '  Feel  all  right,  Jacques  ? ' '  asked  Earl. 

"Never  better." 

"You'd  better  lie  down  here  on  this  bed  for 
a  little  while. ' '  ♦ 

"I  should  say  not,"  exclaimed  Jacques  warmly. 
"We  were  sent  in  here  to  rout  out  the  enemy  and 


UNDERGROUND  41 

that's  what  we  must  do.  There  are  surely  more 
of  them  than  we  have  seen. ' ' 

"Next  time  we  must  be  more  careful  going  into 
rooms  like  this,"  advised  Leon.  "It  doesn't  pay 
just  to  go  ahead  blindly.'* 

"Come,"  urged  Jacques,  and  he  led  the  way  out 
of  the  little  room  down  the  narrow  passageway 
leading  they  knew  not  where. 

Cautiously  they  slunk  along,  their  eyes  strained 
to  see  through  the  dim  light  of  the  underground 
passage.  The  noise  of  the  great  cannonade  above 
came  to  their  ears  but  faintly  here.  A  hoarse 
rumbling  and  a  trembling  of  the  earth  was  the 
sole  evidence  that  over  their  heads  the  opposing 
armies  were  hurling  tons  of  metal  at  each  other. 

"There's  a  turn  just  ahead,"  whispered  Jacques 
cautiously.    "Be  ready." 

Every  sense  alert  the  three  young  soldiers  pro- 
ceeded slowly.  Soon  they  came  to  the  spot  where 
the  passage  led  off  to  the  left.  Jacques  peered 
cautiously  around  the  corner  and  quickly  drew 
back  his  head. 

"Come,"  he  whispered,  beckoning  to  his  two 
companions.     "Have  your  grenades  ready." 

All  three  boys  took  hand  grenades  in  their  right 
hands  and  prepared  for  instant  action. 


42  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

''Lean  your  rifles  against  the  wall  here," 
Jacques  directed. 

This  done,  they  crept  stealthily  forward,  the 
grenades  in  their  right  hands  and  their  auto- 
matic revolvers  in  their  left.  Making  almost  no 
sounds,  they  walked  gingerly  around  the  corner 
of  the  passage  and  there  before  their  eyes  they 
saw  what  had  caused  Jacques  to  draw  back  so 
speedily  a  few  moments  before.  Standing  in  the 
center  of  a  little  room  similar  to  the  one  they 
had  just  left  were  six  Germans. 

Their  plan  had  been  to  steal  upon  their  foes,  tak- 
ing them  by  surprise  and  forcing  them  to  sur- 
render. This  plan  was  unexpectedly  thrown 
awry  however.  One  of  the  rifles  leaned  against 
the  wall  of  the  passage  slipped;  it  fell  to  the 
ground  carrying  the  others  with  it  and  a  loud 
clatter  was  the  result. 

*  *  Hein ! ' '  exclaimed  one  of  the  Germans  wheel- 
ing quickly  in  the  direction  whence  the  noise  came. 
Seeing  three  French  soldiers  stealing  towards  him 
he  instantly  whipped  out  his  revolver  and  fired. 

Leon,  Jacques  and  Earl  ducked  quickly  and  in- 
stinctively. • 

**Let  *em  have  it!"  shouted  Leon  and  he  let 
fly  his  hand  grenade. 


UNDEEGEOUND  43 

Straight  down  the  passageway  it  sped  and  a  tre- 
mendous explosion  instantly  occurred.  The  little 
room  was  filled  with  smoke  and  the  three  young 
soldiers  could  not  see  what  was  taking  place  in 
front  of  them.  Earl  too  hurled  his  deadly  hand- 
bomb  into  the  chamber  and  a  second  explosion 
instantly  took  place. 

' '  That 's  the  way ! ' '  shouted  Jacques.  ' '  That  '11 
fix  them  I  guess!" 

All  of  the  Germans  had  not  been  disposed  of 
however.  A  moment  later  the  sharp  crack  of  a 
revolver  sounded  from  behind  the  wall  of  smoke 
and  a  bullet  winging  its  way  through  the  half- 
light  tore  Jacque's  hat  from  his  head.  Another 
and  still  another  shot  followed  the  first. 

** That's  enough  of  that,"  muttered  the  young 
Frenchman  grimly  and  his  hand-grenade  took  the 
same  course  that  the  two  others  had  followed.  A 
deafening  concussion  ensued  and  then  all  was 
still. 

"Keep  back  against  the  wall,"  warned  Leon. 
"Have  your  pistols  ready." 

Crouching  low  and  keeping  as  far  away  from 
the  center  of  the  passage  as  possible  the  three 
boys  awaited  developments.  Every  boy  grasped 
his  revolver  firmly  in  his  right  hand  and  peered 


44  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

eagerly  in  the  direction  of  their  enemies.  Not  a 
sound  came  from  the  room  where  the  Germans 
had  been  assembled. 

**  They 're  all  dead  I  guess,"  whispered  Earl  at 
length. 

** Don't  be  so  sure,'*  cautioned  Leon.  ''Wait  a 
minute  longer." 

With  muscles  tense  and  every  nerve  alert  the 
three  young  soldiers  waited.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
smoke  from  the  three  explosions  would  never  lift 
and  the  three  boys  felt  as  if  hours  had  elapsed  be- 
fore they  could  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  room. 
Finally  however  the  atmosphere  cleared  away  and 
they  saw  the  results  of  their  work. 

"Let's  go  in  there,"  exclaimed  Jacques. 

**Go  slow,"  warned  Leon.  **It  may  be  a 
trap. ' ' 

**Well  be  ready  for  them,"  said  Jacques. 
**Come  along." 

Prepared  for  instant  action,  the  three  boys 
cautiously  approached  the  tiny  room.  They  were 
fearful  of  a  surprise  attack  but  their  fears  proved 
to  be  groundless.  On  the  floor  lay  the  bodies  of 
six  dead  Germans.  The  hand-grenades  Imd  done 
their  work  well. 

**A  man  doesn't  stand  much  chance  against 


UNDERGROUND  45 

these  grenades,  does  hef"  exclaimed  Leon. 
*' They 're  certainly  deadly." 

''Lucky  for  us  they  are,"  said  Jacques  shortly. 
**Now  for  a  souvenir." 

He  drew  his  knife  and  bending  low  he  quickly 
cut  the  buttons  from  the  jacket  of  one  of  the  dead 
soldiers  at  his  feet. 

''What  are  you  going  to  do  with  them!"  de- 
manded Earl  curiously. 

"Make  rings,"  said  Jacques  calmly  slipping  the 
buttons  into  his  pocket.  "These  men  belonged 
to  the  Imperial  Guard." 

' '  How  do  you  know  I ' ' 

"Look  at  the  eagle  on  the  buttons  here;  that 
proves  it,"  and,  as  he  spoke,  Jacques  drew  forth 
one  of  his  trophies  to  show  his  comrades. 

"We'd  better  move  on,"  exclaimed  Leon  a  mo- 
ment later.  "Go  pick  up  your  hat,  Jacques,  and 
we'll  get  the  rifles." 

"My  poor  hat,"  laughed  Jacques.  "It  will 
have  a  window  in  it  now." 

"You'd  better  be  glad  it  isn't  your  head  that 
has  the  window,"  said  Leon  grimly.  "I  don't 
see  that  you  have  anything  to  complain  about. ' ' 

"I'm  not  complaining,"  smiled  Jacques.  "I 
agree  that  I  am  fortunate." 


46  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**Come  along,"  urged  Leon.  "We  may  run 
into  some  more  of  the  Boches  any  minute.'* 

**Boches"  was  what  the  French  soldiers  always 
called  the  Germans. 

**I'm  ready,"  exclaimed  Jacques,  and  they  re- 
turned to  the  spot  where  their  guns  had  been  left. 
The  young  Frenchman  rescued  his  hat  which  had 
a  hole  cut  cleanly  through  the  crown.  *'It  will 
give  good  ventilation,"  he  remarked  laughingly. 

They  picked  up  their  guns  and  were  preparing 
to  move  on  when  Earl  suddenly  held  up  his  hand. 
** Listen,"  he  whispered  tensely.  *'I  hear  some- 
one coming." 


CHAPTER  V 

HAND  TO    HAND 

INSTANTLY  the  three  boys  were  all  attention. 
They  shrank  back  into  the  shadow  of  the 
passage  and  with  guns  raised  to  their  shoul- 
ders and  their  fingers  on  the  triggers  they  waited. 
Undoubtedly  some  one  was  approaching.  There 
was  more  than  one,  for  low-voiced  words  could  be 
heard.    Were  they  friends  or  foes  ? 

Immovable  the  young  soldiers  waited.  Closer 
and  closer  came  the  sound  of  those  who  were  com- 
ing in  their  direction.    All  at  once  they  appeared. 

**Halt,"  cried  Leon  sharply. 

**Ah,  is  it  you,  my  friend  Leon?'* 

*^^Vho's  that?"  demanded  Leon  greatly  sur- 
prised to  hear  his  name  spoken. 

**It  is  I;  Pierre  Garemont,"  replied  a  pleasant 
voice. 

The  three  young  soldiers  immediately  lowered 
their  rifles.  Pierre  was  an  old  friend  of  theirs, 
one  of  their  company,  and  with  him  there  was 

47 


48  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

Jean  Luqueur,  another  one  of  their  comrades. 

** Where  have  you  been,  Pierre?"  demanded 
Leon  eagerly. 

**  Searching  for  the  Boches,"  he  answered. 
**But  alas  I  have  had  but  poor  luck;  I  have  found 
nothing  but  dead  ones. ' ' 

"Where  are  you  going  now?'*  asked  Jacques. 

**Back  to  the  battlefield  to  rejoin  our  men." 

**Is  the  work  all  done  down  here?" 

"I  see  no  more  to  be  done.    Let  us  go." 

"You  two  were  making  a  lot  of  noise  com- 
ing through  that  passage,"  remarked  Jacques 
severely.  "It  would  have  been  easy  for  anyone 
to  ambush  you." 

"Ha,  ha,"  laughed  Pierre  loudly.  "The 
Boches,  they  are  too  stunned  by  our  bombard- 
ment to  do  anything." 

"Don't  you  believe  it!"  cried  Leon  seriously. 
"If  we  go  with  you  you'll  have  to  be  quiet,  that's 
sure. ' ' 

"Very  well,"  Pierre  agreed  glibly.  He  was  in 
excellent  spirits  however  for  he  felt  that  his  coun- 
try was  on  the  threshold  of  a  great  victory  over 
its  hated  enemy  and  he  was  happy.  ' 

"Do  you  know  the  way  out?"  inquired  Earl. 

"We  are  not  sure,"   said  Jean.    "We  were 


HAND  TO  HAND  49 

looking  for  it  when  you  so  rudely  pointed  your 
guns  at  our  heads.'* 

**We  won't  do  it  again,"  promised  Jacques. 
*'You  lead  the  way,  Pierre,  and  we'll  follow." 

They  proceeded  in  silence  now.  The  story  the 
three  boys  told  of  their  two  encounters  with  the 
Germans  had  a  quieting  effect  upon  Pierre  and 
Jean.  They  realized  that  perhaps  all  the  enemy 
had  not  been  cleared  from  this  great  labyrinth 
after  all. 

Twisting  and  turning  in  their  course  they 
tramped  along.  Numberless  passages  led  off  in 
all  directions  but  the  five  soldiers  kept  to  the  one 
in  which  they  had  started.  It  seemed  larger  than 
the  others  and  they  decided  it  must  be  the  prin- 
cipal one.  Consequently  they  thought  it  would 
eventually  lead  them  out  of  the  bewildering  under- 
ground maze. 

Suddenly  a  patch  of  light  appeared  far  ahead 
of  them.  It  was  sunlight  and  they  quickened  their 
pace,  eager  to  join  in  the  battle  once  more.  That 
they  were  approaching  an  exit  was  proved  by  the 
fact  that  the  roar  of  the  guns  increased  as  they 
proceeded.  The  artillery  had  not  ceased  its 
activity  in  the  slightest. 

A  shadow  crossed  the  patch  of  sunlight  ahead 


50  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

and  Pierre  held  up  his  hand.  Immediately  the 
little  company  halted. 

A  moment  later  a  tall  Prussian  stepped  into  the 
trench  and  peered  cautiously  all  about  him.  The 
five  French  soldiers  shrank  back  into  the  shadow 
and  watched.  Evidently  the  German  saw  noth- 
ing, for  a  moment  later  he  turned  and  beckoned 
and  straightway  four  more  helmeted  Germans  ap- 
peared. They  stood  together  in  the  little  spot  of 
light,  evidently  debating  what  to  do  next. 

They  did  not  stand  that  way  long  however. 
Pierre  quickly  raised  his  rifle  and  fired  at  the  little 
group.  His  shot  went  wild  however.  Like  a  flash 
the  Germans  turned  and  after  one  hasty  glance 
in  the  direction  of  the  shot,  they  darted  down  some 
adjoining  passage  and  disappeared. 

'* After  them!"  cried  Pierre.  He  dashed  off  in 
mad  pursuit,  closely  followed  by  the  four  other 
members  of  the  squad.  At  top  speed  they  rushed 
along  the  passageway.  Soon  they  came  to  the 
spot  where  the  patch  of  sunlight  showed. 

*'This  way,"  shouted  Pierre,  and  he  turned 
sharply  to  the  left  and  sped  along  after  the  fleeing 
Germans. 

"Don't  run  into  a  trap,"  shouted  Jacques,  but 
Pierre  gave  no  heed  to  him.    His  one  idea  was  to 


HAND  TO  HAND  51 

come  up  with  his  foes  and  he  forgot  everything 
else.  He  led  the  others  by  at  least  five  yards, 
followed  by  Jacques,  Earl,  Jean,  and  Leon  in  the 
order  named. 

Thus  far  they  had  seen  no  fresh  signs  of  the 
Germans  but  there  had  been  no  branches  to  this 
passage  as  yet,  and  consequently  they  were  con- 
vinced that  they  were  upon  the  right  track. 

Suddenly  a  man  stepped  out  of  a  niche  in  the 
wall  directly  in  front  of  Pierre.  He  held  his  rifle 
out  in  front  of  him  and  before  the  racing  French- 
man could  check  himself  he  had  run  full  upon  the 
long  keen  bayonet.  Clear  through  him  it  went 
and  down  went  Pierre. 

Close  behind  him,  however,  was  Jacques,  and  be- 
fore the  German  could  do  any  more  execution  he 
gave  him  the  same  treatment  that  Pierre  had  re- 
ceived. Without  a  sound  he  sank  to  the  ground 
and  lay  limply  stretched  out  upon  the  prostrate 
body  of  Pierre. 

*'Is  Pierre  deadf  gasped  Earl. 

**He  is,"  said  Jacques  simply. 

**Too  bad,"  murmured  Earl. 

*' That's  part  of  the  game,"  said  Jacques  in  a 
matter-of-fact  tone.  **We  can  do  no  more  for 
him.    Let's  move  on." 


52  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

France  had  lost  a  brave  soldier  in  this  simple 
peasant.  He  had  given  his  life  for  his  country 
and  no  man,  peasant  or  king,  can  do  more  than 
that.  He  loved  France  and  he  died  for  her  gladly. 
He  did  not  like  war  and  he  had  had  no  quarrel 
with  anyone.  When  his  country  was  in  peril,  how- 
ever, he  had  but  one  thought  and  that  was  to  do 
all  he  could  for  her.  He  had  done  his  best  and 
served  her  well.  There  were  thousands  more  just 
like  him  and  it  was  impossible  to  mourn  over  any 
one  of  them  long.  Consequently  his  four  com- 
rades soon  left  him  to  attend  to  the  business  in 
hand. 

**The  fellow  that  killed  him  won't  do  any  dam- 
age again  anyway,"  remarked  Earl.  "You  fixed 
him  all  right,  Jacques." 

''Come,"  urged  Jacques  shortly. 

*'Go  slowly  from  now  on,"  urged  Leon. 

This  advice  was  followed  and  the  little  squad 
moved  forward  again.  They  had  no  desire  that 
Pierre's  fate  should  overtake  them. 

A  few  moments  later  they  came  to  a  spot  where 
several  passages  all  seemed  to  meet.  It  was 
like  the  hub  of  a  wheel,  only  there  were  not  so 
many  passages  as  there  are  spokes  in  most 
wheels. 


HAND  TO  HAND  53 

**Now  what?"  exclaimed  Earl  when  they  had 
reached  this  spot. 

"Where  did  they  go!"  demanded  Leon. 
**We'd  better  not  stand  here  any  longer  though. 
Some  one  will  take  a  shot  at  us  if  we're  not 
careful." 

"Right  you  are,"  agreed  Jacques  heartily. 
"Let's  follow  this  passage  and  see  where  it  leads 
us."  He  plunged  into  one  of  the  dimly  lighted 
aisles  and  proceeded  cautiously  along  it,  closely 
followed  by  his  three  companions. 

They  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when  the 
passage  suddenly  opened  up  into  the  main  trench 
and  the  four  soldiers  found  themselves  in  the  day- 
light again.  Over  their  heads  the  bullets  whistled 
and  the  projectiles  screamed  but  none  of  them 
fell  in  that  particular  trench.  The  French  charge 
had  carried  far  beyond  this  spot  and  the  Germans 
were  interested  in  that,  while  the  French  guns 
were  still  busy  hammering  the  opposing  trenches 
to  pieces. 

"Look,"  cried  Earl.  "There  are  the  Germans 
we  were  chasing." 

A  squad  of  French  soldiers  passed  with  five 
German  prisoners,  one  of  them  easily  recognizable 
as  the  tall  Prussian  they  had  seen  only  a  short 


54  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

time  before.  The  man  in  charge  of  the  squad 
halted  the  little  band  and  a  most  interesting  event 
took  place. 

All  the  buttons  were  cut  off  the  prisoners' 
trousers;  suspenders  and  belts  were  cut  in  two 
and  the  laces  were  slashed  from  their  shoes.  A 
moment  later  the  five  Germans  slopped  away,  their 
hands  in  their  pockets  to  keep  their  trousers  from 
falling  oif  and  shuffling  their  feet  to  keep  their 
shoes  on.  One  Frenchman  accompanied  them  to 
direct  rather  than  guard  them.  They  were  harm- 
less enough  now. 

''That's  certainly  a  funny  sight,"  laughed 
Leon.  *  *  Those  Germans  couldn  't  run  away  or  do 
any  damage  now  to  save  their  lives." 

''A  great  way  to  send  pisoners  back  to  the 
lines,"  said  Jacques. 

The  three  boys  and  Jean  now  joined  the  other 
men  in  the  squad  and  together  the  eleven  soldiers 
started  across  the  battlefield.  All  of  them  were 
of  the  same  regiment  but  from  different  com- 
panies. Far  ahead  they  could  see  the  curtain  of 
fire  and  behind  it  the  advancing  line  of  French 
troops. 

"That's  where  we  belong,"  cried  Jacques 
eagerly. 


HAND  TO  HAND  55 

**Here  come  reinforcements  I"  shouted  Earl, 
and  from  their  own  lines  they  could  see  a  fresh 
battalion  of  infantry  pouring  out  of  the  trenches 
and  starting  across  that  field  of  death. 

Corpses  lay  on  every  side,  French  and  German 
together.  The  ground  was  covered  with  the  dead 
and  wounded,  some  of  the  latter  desperately  in 
need  of  attention.  They  had  to  be  left  for  the 
Bed  Cross,  however.  The  soldiers  had  their  or- 
ders and  they  were  to  advance. 

*' Shall  we  wait  and  go  forward  with  the  rein- 
forcements?" asked  one  of  the  men  in  the  squad 
which  the  four  soldiers  had  encountered. 

*'I  should  say  not,"  cried  Jacques.  **Our  regi- 
ment is  ahead  there  and  that's  where  we  ought 
to  be." 

With  a  shout  he  dashed  forward  and  close  at 
his  heels  followed  his  ten  comrades  all  eager  to  be 
in  the  fray  once  more. 


CHAPTER  VI 

UNDER  FIBE 

AHEAD  of  them  was  a  small  wooded  ridge 
and  towards  this  they  made  their  way. 
The  field  was  littered  with  corpses  and 
it  was  necessary  to  exercise  great  care  to  prevent 
stepping  on  the  dead  bodies. 

A  few  moments  later  the  eleven  soldiers  reached 
the  ridge  and  there  came  up  with  their  battalion; 
at  least  what  was  left  of  it,  for  it  had  suffered 
heavily  during  the  charge.  The  three  boys  were 
very  glad  indeed  to  rejoin  their  company  and  were 
soon  in  their  accustomed  places. 

''We're  pretty  well  protected  here,"  remarked 
Earl  when  they  were  in  the  abandoned  German 
trench  under  the  shelter  of  the  ridge. 

**Yes,"  agreed  Jacques.  ''Those  scrubby  little 
pine  trees  hide  us  from  the  sight  of  the  German 
observation  posts.  Their  artillery  won't  bother 
us  much  here." 

"We  don't  want  it  to,"  said  Leon  grimly.  "It 
has  done  enough  of  that  already." 

66 


UNDER  FIRE  57 

**And  it  will  do  a  whole  lot  more,"  added 
Jacques. 

As  he  finished  speaking  the  order  to  advance 
came  and  once  more  the  troops  moved  on.  They 
followed  the  zig-zag  course  of  the  German  trench 
they  occupied.  It  was  filled  with  dead  soldiers 
for  it  was  through  this  trench  that  the  Germans 
had  tried  to  rush  reinforcements  when  the  attack 
started.  The  French  guns,  however,  had  had  the 
range  and  inflicted  cruel  losses  on  their  opponents. 

*'This  trench  leads  right  over  the  top  of  the 
ridge,"  remarked  Jacques.  *'Wait  until  we  get 
there  and  we'll  catch  it." 

*'Not  if  we  stay  in  the  trench,"  objected  Leon. 

**But  I  don't  think  we  will." 

**Do  you  know  for  sure?" 

"No,  I  don't,  but  I  imagine  we'll  have  a  chance 
in  the  open  again." 

His  guess  proved  to  be  correct.  Arriving  at  the 
summit  of  the  hill  the  battalion  halted.  The  men 
were  formed  in  sections  about  fifty  yards  apart. 

''What's  the  idea?"  asked  Earl. 

''When  we  leave  the  trench  each  section  will 
charge  in  Indian  file,"  answered  Jacques.  "In- 
stead of  being  abreast  we  '11  be  one  behind  another. 
In  that  way  we  'U  offer  a  much  smaller  target. ' ' 


58  FIGHTING  IN  FEANCE 

''True  enough,"  exclaimed  Earl.  ''That's  a 
great  scheme." 

A  moment  later  the  order  came.  The  soldiers 
debouched  from  the  trench  and  in  long  lines  ad- 
vanced down  the  hill.  From  the  German  posi- 
tions the  French  formation  gave  more  or  less  the 
impression  of  one  man  every  fifty  yards  charging 
at  them. 

Almost  immediately,  however,  their  appearance 
was  greeted  by  a  storm  of  shot  and  shell.  Guns 
of  all  caliber  belched  their  deadly  missiles  at  the 
charging  French.  The  attackers  quickened  their 
pace  and  breaking  into  a  run,  raced  down  the  hill. 

At  the  bottom  of  the  incline  were  numberless 
great  pits  blasted  out  of  the  ground  by  the  prodi- 
gious explosions.  Into  these  the  attackers  dove 
pell-mell  and  a  halt  was  called  for  a  few  moments' 
rest. 

Leon,  Jacques  and  Earl  found  themselves  in  one 
of  these,  along  with  five  other  men  of  their  com- 
pany. 

"Look  at  those  two  big  howitzers,"  exclaimed 
Leon  pointing  to  two  big  German  guns  lying  half- 
imbedded  in  the  earth.  / 

"Where  are  the  men  to  attend  to  them  I  '* 
queried  Earl. 


UNDER  FIRE  59 

**Ask  our  gunners,"  advised  Jacques  grimly. 
** Perhaps  they  can  tell  you." 

**What  do  you  meant"  demanded  Earl  some- 
what puzzled  by  this  remark. 

''Simply  this,"  said  the  young  Frenchman. 
* '  One  or  two  of  our  big  shells  made  direct  hits  on 
this  battery  and  the  gunners  are  not  in  existence 
any  more. ' ' 

*'I  see,"  said  Earl  simply. 

As  these  eight  soldiers  sat  in  the  pit  and  waited, 
their  spirits  began  to  rise  and  they  seemed  to  for- 
get the  horrors  they  had  been  through  and  their 
present  danger.  They  even  began  to  make  jokes 
and  laugh  over  certain  incidents  of  the  fight.  The 
thing  that  amused  them  most  was  the  recollection 
of  the  German  prisoners  shuffling  off  with  their 
hands  in  their  pockets  to  keep  up  their  trousers. 
One  of  the  men  had  even  had  time  to  pick  one 
German's  pocket  of  a  package  of  cigarettes. 

He  passed  them  around  with  great  glee  and 
soon  every  one  was  smoking  except  Earl,  Leon  and 
Jacques.  They  had  never  acquired  the  habit  and 
knowing  that  they  were  better  off  without  it  had 
no  desire  to  start.  Their  main  desire  was  to  keep 
themselves  in  perfect  physical  trim. 

As  they  sat  there  talking  the  shells  flew  over 


60  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

their  heads  in  a  steady  stream.  In  the  great 
crater,  however,  they  were  comparatively  safe  un- 
less some  stray  shell  should  chance  to  land  di- 
rectly in  the  hollow  where  they  were  seated. 

**And  if  one  ever  does,"  exclaimed  Jacques, 
"it's  good-by  to  us." 

"Why  so?"  demanded  Earl.  "In  a  hole  as 
large  as  this  we  might  get  nothing  worse  than  a 
spattering  of  dirt." 

"Yes,"  said  Jacques,  "but  don't  you  know  that 
there  are  probably  several  thousand  rounds  of 
ammunition  buried  under  here?  If  there  should 
happen  to  be  an  explosion,  what  do  you  think 
would  happen  to  us?" 

"Well  there  wouldn't  be  enough  to  make  much 
of  a  fuss  over,  I  guess,"  remarked  Leon  with  a 
grim  smile. 

A  man  suddenly  appeared  on  the  rim  of  the 
pit  and  slid  over  the  edge. 

"Ho,  Coudert,"  one  of  the  soldiers  greeted  him. 

"Got  orders?"  asked  another. 

"Yes,"  said  Coudert  who  acted  as  order-bearer 
in  the  battalion. 

The  men  crowded  about  him,  eager  to  learn 
what  their  next  move  was  to  be.  Coudert  spoke 
rapidly  in  Franch  and  Jacques  translated  his 


UNDER  FIRE  61 

message  to  Earl  and  Leon.  The  two  young 
Americans  spoke  that  language  fairly  well  but 
when  it  came  to  a  question  of  orders  they  always 
had  Jacques  interpret  them  if  possible,  so  that 
there  should  be  no  mistake. 

**We  are  to  leave  here,"  said  Jacques,  **and  go 
on  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill  where  we  are  to 
dig  shelters  for  ourselves.  We  cannot  go  for- 
ward until  our  artillery  has  had  a  chance  to  do  a 
little  more  execution." 

"Then  we'll  probably  have  to  stay  out  all 
night,"  remarked  Leon. 

**I  should  not  be  surprised,"  said  Jacques 
simply. 

''That'll  be  nice,"  exclaimed  Leon  with  a  wry 
smile. 

''Coudert  says,"  continued  Jacques,  "that  that 
trench  we  just  left  back  there  on  the  hill  is  half 
full  of  reinforcements  for  us.'* 

"We  can  use  them,"  said  Earl  shortly. 

"Ready,"  came  the  order,  and  with  a  final  ad- 
justment of  his  equipment  every  man  prepared 
himself  for  the  dash  that  was  to  come. 

The  men  scrambled  up  the  sides  of  the  giant 
crater.  From  the  pits  on  both  sides  of  them  the 
other  sections  were  doing  the  same  thing. 


62  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

"Spread  out,"  was  the  order.  *  ^Advance  in 
open  formation. ' ' 

With  several  feet  between  them  the  French 
dashed  down  the  hill.  The  German  machine-guns 
barked  at  them  angrily  and  the  spiteful  crack  of 
the  rifles  could  be  heard  now  and  then  above  the 
din  of  the  cannonade.  Two  hundred  yards  from 
the  enemy's  positions  they  flung  themselves  down 
upon  the  ground  and  began  digging  furiously. 
Every  man  had  a  shovel  in  his  equipment  and  he 
made  the  dirt  fly. 

In  an  incredibly  short  time  a  parapet  a  little 
over  a  foot  high  was  thrown  up  and  every  man's 
knapsack  was  placed  to  keep  the  dirt  in  position 
so  that  they  were  fairly  safe  against  infantry  and 
machine-gun  fire.  This  done,  every  soldier  then 
began  to  dig  a  little  individual  ditch  for  himself. 
Three  feet  deep  and  two  feet  wide  and  long  enough 
to  lie  down  in  they  furnished  excellent  protection 
against  anything  but  a  direct  hit  by  one  of  the 
enemy's  shells. 

*' Hello,  Jacques,"  called  Leon.  "How  do  you 
feel?" 

"Fine.  Do  you  know  our  section  didn't  lose  a 
man  on  the  way  down  the  hill?" 

"That  so?    Good  for  us." 


UNDER  FIRE  63 

*' Where's  Earl?" 

"The  other  side  of  you,  I  think.    Yell  at  him.** 

"Hey,  Earl,"  called  Jacques. 

"Hello,"  came  the  answer.  "What  do  you 
want?" 

"I  just  wanted  to  know  if  you  were  all  right." 

"Surely.  I  don't  see  the  point  in  these  piles 
of  dirt  in  between  the  ditches  though.  It  seems 
to  me  that  the  dirt  would  do  more  good  in  front. ' ' 

"We've  got  enough  in  front,"  said  Jacques. 
"You'll  see  the  use  in  that  dirt  in  between  us  if 
a  shell  should  ever  land  squarely  in  one  of  the 
ditches. ' ' 

Scarcely  had  he  spoken  when  a  105-millimeter 
shell  dropped  directly  into  the  ditch  next  to 
Earl's.  It  was  occupied  by  a  man  named  Dumont 
and  he,  poor  fellow,  was  blown  to  atoms.  Earl, 
however,  thanks  to  the  "dirt"  he  despised  so  much 
was  untouched. 

"Their  fire  is  slackening,"  remarked  Jacques. 

"Yes,"  agreed  Leon.  "There  seems  to  be  only 
one  battery  firing  at  us  now." 

"That  shows  how  good  our  artillery  is,"  said 
Jacques  proudly.  "That  one  battery  that's  left 
would  have  been  silenced  long  ago  too  if  it  hadn't 
been  hidden  pretty  well." 


64  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**How  do  you  know  it's  hidden?" 

** Because  they'd  have  located  it  before  this 
time  if  it  wasn't." 

The  French  aeroplanes  which  had  been  soaring 
overhead  for  a  long  time  now  began  to  swoop 
lower.  Evidently  the  aviators  were  searching 
for  the  battery  in  question.  A  swift  biplane 
swept  past,  barely  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
above  the  trenches.  Amid  a  perfect  storm  of  shot 
it  returned  safely  to  its  lines. 

**Dig  the  trenches  deeper,"  came  the  order. 

**Hear  that?"  demanded  Jacques.  "That 
means  we  stay  out  here  all  night,  I  guess." 


CHAPTER  VII 

IN   THE   DITCH 

THE  time  passed  slowly.  The  cannonade 
slackened  in  intensity  and  at  times  almost 
ceased  entirely.  The  men  spent  their 
time  in  improving  their  positions  and  enlarging 
the  ditches  in  which  they  were  lying. 

"What  are  you  doing,  Jacques!'*  demanded 
Leon  suddenly. 

** Watch  me,"  was  the  young  Frenchman's  only 
reply. 

He  placfid  his  steel  helmet  on  the  end  of  his 
bayonet  and  raised  it  cautiously  above  the  edge 
of  the  parapet.  Almost  immediately  a  storm  of 
German  bullets  struck  all  around  the  spot. 

''You're  crazy,  Jacques,"  exclaimed  Leon. 
*'Stop  that." 

*  *  Not  at  all, ' '  chuckled  Jacques.  * '  I  love  to  fool 
them." 

''You'll  get  fooled  yourself  if  you're  not  care- 
ful." 

"No,  I  won't  either." 

65 


66  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

He  repeated  the  move  and  again  the  bullets 
rained  all  about  him.  He  soon  tired  of  the  game, 
however,  and  for  a  time  lapsed  into  silence. 

**How  big  is  your  ditch,  Leon?"  called  Jacques. 

**I  don't  know;  it's  pretty  good  size." 

*  *  Large  enough  for  two  1 ' ' 

**It  might  hold  two  I  guess." 

**A11  right  then,"  exclaimed  Jacques.  **I'm 
coming  over  to  see  you. ' ' 

With  two  quick  jumps  he  was  out  of  his  ditch 
and  alongside  Leon.  Little  spurts  of  earth  flew 
up  from  the  parapet  in  front  as  he  took  his  place. 

**You  were  too  slow  that  time,  my  friends,'* 
chuckled  Jacques  addressing  his  remarks  to  the 
Germans. 

"That  was  a  risky  thing  to  do,"  exclaimed 
Leon  reprovingly. 

"I  know  it,"  admitted  Jacques.  ''All  war  is 
risky." 

*'Just  for  that  reason  there  is  no  use  in  taking 
unnecessary  chances." 

**That  was  not  unnecessary,"  grinned  Jacques. 
**I  understand  that  you  have  some  bread  and 
cheese  still  left  and  I  am  hungry. ' ' 

** That's  true,"  admitted  Leon  and  from  his 
knapsack  he  produced  both  articles  in  question. 


IN  THE  DITCH  67 

Lying  side  by  side  in  that  shallow  ditch  the  two 
young  soldiers  ate  their  luncheon. 

**I  wonder  what  some  of  my  friends  would  say 
if  they  could  see  me  now,'*  mused  Leon.  **I 
guess  they'd  be  surprised." 

** Because  you  are  fighting  here?"  asked 
Jacques. 

*  *  Yes.  They  probably  couldn  't  understand  why 
I  should  want  to  enlist  in  some  other  country's 
army  and  go  to  war  for  strangers." 

**But  you  are  fighting  for  liberty,"  exclaimed 
Jacques.  **  America  stands  for  liberty,  does  it 
not?" 

**It  certainly  does,"  cried  Leon.  ** Still  some 
people  would  probably  wonder  why  I  should  want 
to  fight  for  another  country's  liberty." 

''But,"  protested  Jacques,  ''did  not  France  aid 
your  country  in  your  struggle  for  independence  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution  ?  Why  then  is  it  strange 
that  Americans  should  help  France  when  she  is 
fighting  for  her  very  existence  and  life?" 

"I  don't  think  it's  strange,"  said  Leon.  "I 
think  it's  only  right.  What  I  said  was,  that  some 
of  my  friends  might  not  understand  it. ' ' 

"America  and  France  both  stand  for  liberty," 
said  Jacques.    "They  both  had  to  fight  hard  to 


68  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

get  it  and  now  they  should  help  each  other  keep 
what  they  have  won  so  dearly. ' ' 

*'The  two  nations  have  always  been  good 
friends,"  said  Leon. 

**Yes,"  agreed  Jacques  simply,  **and  I  hope 
they  always  will  be. ' ' 

The  young  Frenchman  rolled  over  on  his  side 
and  suddenly  jumped  almost  to  his  feet.  He 
clasped  both  hands  to  his  face  and  tried  to  rise 
but  could  not.  His  head  seemed  to  weigh  tons  and 
he  simply  could  not  get  up. 

"Jacques!  Jacques!"  cried  Leon  in  alarm, 
kneeling  beside  his  companion.  **What  is  the 
matter?" 

Blood  was  oozing  between  the  fingers  of  the 
young  Frenchman. 

* '  Let  me  see, ' '  begged  Leon.  *  *  Take  your  hands 
away  from  your  face." 

Jacques  made  no  answer  but  continued  his  vain 
efforts  to  rise. 

With  difficulty  Leon  forced  his  hands  from  his 
face.  Jacques  was  now  bespattered  with  blood 
which  spurted  from  a  long  gash  running  from  his 
left  eye  to  the  corner  of  his  mouth. 

*'Lie  down,  Jacques,"  begged  Leon  anx- 
iously. 


IN  THE  DITCH  69 

Without  a  word  the  wounded  boy  stretched  him- 
self out  upon  his  back  in  the  ditch.  Leon  reached 
for  his  emergency  dressing  and  began  to  do  what 
he  could  for  the  young  Frenchman. 

"A  steel  splinter  hit  me,  I  guess,"  murmured 
Jacques. 

"I  should  say  it  did,"  agreed  Leon  soberly. 
**It's  a  lucky  thing  it  didn't  hit  your  eye.  How 
do  you  feel  ? ' ' 

**A11  right.    Pretty  weak  though." 

**A  doctor  ought  to  dress  that  wound,"  said 
Leon.  **You  can't  leave  this  place  before  dark 
though ;  it  would  be  sure  death  to  try. ' ' 

**0h,  I'm  all  right  enough,"  said  Jacques. 
**This  is  only  a  scratch." 

**A  pretty  deep  scratch  I  should  say,'*  replied 
Leon  grimly.  *'It'll  leave  a  scar  as  long  as  you 
live." 

^'What  of  it?" 

**It  won't  help  your  looks  any." 

**What  do  I  care?  That  scar  will  always  re- 
mind me  that  I  did  something  for  France.  I  shall 
be  proud  of  it." 

*'Do  you  feel  any  better?"  asked  Leon. 

**A  little.    I'd  like  my  canteen  though." 

Leon  reached  for  the  article  in  question  which 


70  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

was  lying  on  the  edge  of  the  little  ditch.  As  he 
turned  he  felt  a  blow  in  the  shoulder. 

'  *  What 's  the  matter ! ' '  demanded  Jacques  as  he 
saw  his  companion  sink  back. 

"I'm  hit,"  said  Leon  simply. 

"Where  is  itT' 

"In  the  shoulder." 

"Unbutton  your  coat  and  shirt  and  look  at  it." 

Leon  quickly  complied  and  a  moment  later 
picked  a  rifle-ball  out  of  his  shoulder.  It  had 
barely  broken  the  skin  and  the  wound  bled  but 
little. 

"That's  funny,"  mused  Leon.  "How  do  you 
suppose  its  force  became  spent  so  soon?" 

"It  must  have  struck  something  else  first." 

Leon  looked  about  him.  "I  should  say  it  did," 
he  exclaimed.    * '  Look  here. ' ' 

He  picked  up  Jacques'  gun  which  was  lying  on 
the  parapet.  The  bullet  had  struck  the  magazine 
of  the  rifle,  knocked  out  one  cartridge  and  torn 
a  hole  through  the  wooden  stock. 

"Pretty  lucky  for  you,"  said  Jacques.  "If  it 
hadn't  been  for  that  gun  you'd  have  been  done 
for  now." 

The  afternoon  dragged  slowly  along  and  the 
bombardment  began  to  increase  in  severity  once 


IN  THE  DITCH  71 

more.  Evidently  the  way  was  being  prepared 
for  a  further  advance  of  the  infantry  that  night. 

"I'd  better  leave  you  now  I  guess,"  remarked 
Leon  as  dusk  began  to  creep  over  the  battlefield. 
**You  stay  here  and  I'll  go  back  to  your  ditch." 

"Be  careful,"  warned  Jacques.    "Keep  low." 

With  a  quick  jump  Leon  sprang  out  of  the  ditch 
and  over  into  the  one  Jacques  had  formerly  occu- 
pied. His  appearance  was  greeted  by  a  volley  of 
bullets  from  one  of  the  German  machine-guns  but 
the  aim  was  too  high  and  he  reached  his  goal  in 
safety. 

As  night  fell  half  the  section  remained  on  the 
alert  while  the  other  half  slept.  The  cannonade 
was  now  furious  but  the  men  managed  to  get  some 
rest.  At  midnight  Leon  was  relieved  from  his 
watch  and  prepared  himself  for  sleep.  One  of  the 
men  furnished  him  with  two  overcoats  stripped 
from  dead  Germans  and  with  these  he  made  a 
fairly  comfortable  bed. 

In  spite  of  the  terrific  din  made  by  the  guns  he 
at  last  dozed  off  to  sleep.  How  long  he  slept  he 
did  not  know,  but  suddenly  he  awoke  to  find  him- 
self in  complete  darkness.  He  felt  suffocated. 
He  tried  to  rise  but  was  unable  to  move.  Some- 
thing seemed  to  be  holding  him  down  and  chok- 


72  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

ing  him  at  the  same  time.    There  was  no  air  to 
breathe. 

He  set  himself  for  a  strong  muscular  effort. 
He  drew  in  his  breath  and  his  mouth  filled  with 
dirt.  Suddenly  the  awful  truth  flashed  through 
his  mind.    He  was  buried  alive. 


m 


CHAPTER  Vni 

A  MIDNIGHT  SAli,Y 

« *fT10  die  like  this !"  thought  Leon.  **What 
a  terrible  end. ' ' 
He  had  always  planned  that  if  he 
should  be  stricken  in  this  war  it  would  be  with  his 
gun  in  his  hand  and  his  face  set  toward  the  enemy. 
To  perish,  buried  under  a  heap  of  earth,  was  not 
a  soldier's  death. 

He  worked  the  dirt  out  of  his  mouth  with  the 
tip  of  his  tongue  and  set  himself  for  a  supreme 
effort.  A  quick  breath  and  more  dirt  filled  his 
mouth.  He  could  not  move  a  muscle  in  his  body. 
He  tried  to  shout  and  more  earth  entered  his 
mouth.    It  gritted  its  way  down  his  throat. 

So  this  was  the  end.  The  young  soldier  grew 
calm  and  waited  for  it  to  come.  After  all  it  was 
not  so  bad.  He  had  done  his  best  and  now  it  was 
all  over.  That  was  the  chance  a  soldier  was  com- 
pelled to  take.  The  pain  left  him  and  the  whole 
world  turned  black. 

73 


74  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

"Ouch/*  cried  somebody  suddenly.  "He  bit 
my  finger." 

"Never  mind  that,"  said  another  voice.  "Get 
the  dirt  out  of  his  mouth. '  * 

Leon  felt  a  finger  enter  his  throat  and  he 
coughed.  Some  one  was  working  his  arms  up  and 
down  and  his  wounded  shoulder  pained  him.  He 
struggled  up  but  sank  back  to  his  knees  and  began 
coughing  up  dirt. 

"Spit  that  dirt  out  on  your  parapet,"  said  a 
voice  which  Leon  recognized  as  belonging  to 
Dubois,  one  of  his  mates.  "You'll  need  it  all 
there." 

Dubois  was  the  joker  of  the  regiment  and  every- 
body laughed.  Even  Leon  smiled.  He  was  feel- 
ing much  better  now  and  all  the  men  except  Earl 
returned  to  their  holes.  Jacques  had  been  taken 
to  the  rear  by  the  Red  Cross  to  have  his  wound 
dressed. 

"What  hit  me.  Earl!"  asked  Leon. 

"Dirt  hit  you,"  said  Earl.  "A  shell  exploded 
just  the  other  side  of  you. ' ' 

"It  must  have  been  a  big  one." 

*  *  It  was ;  250-millimeter. '  * 

"That's  a  ten-inch,  isn't  it?  Did  it  do  much 
damage?" 


A  MIDNIGHT  SALLY  75 

"Well  we've  got  two  men  less  in  our  company 
than  we  had  a  few  minutes  ago." 

**I  guess  I  was  lucky,'*  exclaimed  Leon  soberly. 

"You  certainly  were,"  agreed  Earl.  ''That 
shell  tore  a  hole  in  the  ground  about  six  feet  deep 
and  spilled  about  ten  cubic  yards  of  dirt  on  top 
of  you." 

At  this  moment  two  stretcher-bearers  arrived 
on  the  spot  to  take  Leon  back  to  the  rear,  but  he 
refused  to  go. 

"I'm  all  right,"  he  exclaimed.  "I  only  had  a 
lot  of  dirt  piled  on  me  and  that  didn't  do  me  any 
harm.  Besides  there  is  too  much  going  on  and  I 
don't  want  to  miss  any  of  it." 

The  bearers  withdrew  and  Leon  went  back  to  his 
ditch.  He  was  rapidly  recovering  his  strength 
and  began  to  dig  his  two  German  overcoats  out 
from  under  the  pile  of  dirt.  He  bedded  them 
down  in  the  crater  made  by  the  shell  and  made 
himself  quite  comfortable. 

"Come  over  here,  Earl,"  he  shouted  a  moment 
later.  "This  crater  is  much  larger  and  safer  than 
your  ditch  and  lightning  never  strikes  twice  in  the 
same  place  you  know." 

Earl  soon  joined  his  brother  and  with  him  came 
Dubois  the  man  who  had  helped  to  dig  out  Leon. 


76  FIGHTING  IN  FKANCE 

There  was  plenty  of  room  for  all  three  and  for  a 
time  they  felt  quite  secure.  Soon  however  the 
shells  began  to  fall  thicker  and  faster  all  about 
them. 

**What  did  you  say  about  lightning?"  demanded 
Dubois  at  length. 

*'The  shells  are  getting  pretty  close,  aren^t 
they?"  said  Leon  anxiously. 

**Yes,"  said  Dubois,  ''and  to  my  mind  it's  only 
a  question  of  time  before  one  lands  on  us.  This 
isn't  old-fashioned  lightning  you  know." 

**They  certainly  seem  to  be  getting  the  range 
all  right,"  exclaimed  Earl.  *'I  don't  see  what  we 
can  do  though.    We  can't  leave  our  post." 

**No,"  agreed  Leon.  *'We  certainly  can't  go 
back." 

**We  can  go  ahead  though,"  said  Dubois. 

**What  do  you  mean?"  demanded  Leon  puzzled 
by  his  comrade 's  remark. 

**Do  you  remember  that  little  German  trench 
about  forty  yards  ahead  of  us  out  here?" 

*'Yes." 

''Well  why  can't  we  go  out  and  take  possession 
of  that?" 

**  Just  the  three  of  us?"  demanded  Earl. 

*'Why,  yes,"  replied  Dubois.    ''You  will  re- 


A  MIDNIGHT  SALLY  77 

member  that  there  has  been  no  firing  from  that 
spot  all  day.    It  is  probably  empty." 

*  *  Do  you  think  we  can  reach  it  ? "  exclaimed  Leon 
eagerly. 

*'Why  not!  It  is  very  close  and  yet  we'll  not 
be  fired  upon  by  the  Boches.  If  we  remain  here 
it  is  but  a  question  of  time  before  we  are  entirely 
wiped  out.     What  do  you  say?'* 

**I  say  to  go,"  replied  Leon  at  once. 

**And  I  too,"  echoed  Earl. 

"Come  then,"  urged  Dubois  and  without  wait- 
ing another  moment  he  crawled  up  out  of  the  cra- 
ter and  started  across  the  space  intervening  be- 
tween them  and  the  German  trench.  One  on  each 
side,  Leon  and  Earl  accompanied  him. 

These  two  boys  were  typical  twins  in  every  re- 
spect. Strangers  could  hardly  ever  tell  them 
apart  and  even  their  intimate  friends  became  con- 
fused at  times.  They  looked  alike,  their  voices 
were  alike,  and  they  even  seemed  to  think  alike. 
The  only  distinguishing  mark  was  a  small  mole 
under  Earl's  right  eye. 

** Don't  let  any  German  clip  that  mole  off,  Earl," 
warned  Dubois.  "If  that  should  happen  I  don't 
know  how  we  could  ever  tell  which  was  which. ' ' 

"It's  impossible  to  see  anything  to-night  any- 


78  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

way,"  said  Leon.  "I  have  never  seen  such  black- 
ness." 

Crawling  three  abreast  they  proceeded  across 
the  shell-swept  battlefield.  The  cannonade  made 
an  infernal  noise  now  and  it  seemed  as  if  bedlam 
had  been  let  loose.  Closer  and  closer  they  came 
to  their  goal.  Indistinctly  outlined  against  the 
night  they  could  see  the  pile  of  earth  thrown  up 
in  front  of  the  German  trench. 

A  few  moments  later  they  came  to  it.  Dubois 
did  not  try  to  enter  here  however  but,  stiU  fol- 
lowed by  Earl  and  Leon,  he  crawled  around  the 
end  of  it.  Then  he  continued  until  he  came  to  the 
center  of  the  trench  so  that  it  was  between  them 
and  the  French  lines. 

Suddenly  a  wild  yell  split  the  darkness. 

*'Die  Franzosen!  Die  Franzosen!"  (The 
French  I    The  French ! ) 

It  was  impossible  to  distinguish  one  object  from 
another.  There  might  have  been  a  regiment  of 
Germans  in  the  trench  for  all  that  Dubois  and  his 
two  comrades  could  tell.  For  that  matter  the 
Germans  might  easily  have  imagined  they  were 
beset  by  a  regiment  of  French.  The  flight  was 
inky  black. 

It  was  a  great  sur«^  ^is^  to  the  three  adventurers 


A  MIDNIGHT  SALLY  79 

to  hear  this  yell  of  fear  coming  out  of  a  trench 
they  had  supposed  to  be  vacant,  but  they  were  un- 
daunted. Dubois  immediately  jumped  down  into 
the  trench,  closely  followed  by  Leon  and  Earl. 

^'Hdnde  hoch!"  (Hands  up)  shrieked  Dubois, 
calling  upon  the  small  amount  of  German  with 
which  he  was  familiar. 

"Hdnde  hoch!"  he  shouted  again  and  Leon  and 
Earl  added  their  voices. 

It  was  a  tense  moment.  Probably  they  were  far 
outnumbered  by  the  Germans  and  should  this  fact 
be  discovered  it  would  go  hard  with  them.  It  was 
a  strange  sensation  for  two  American  boys  to  ex- 
perience. There  they  were  standing  in  a  deep 
trench  somewhere  in  France,  in  the  middle  of  the 
night,  with  they  did  not  know  how  many  Germans 
who  would  have  liked  nothing  better  than  to  kill 
them  then  and  there. 

*'Hdnde  hoch!"  repeated  Dubois  threateningly 
and  the  three  comrades  held  their  breath  in  sus- 
pense. 

"Kameraden!  KameradenI"  came  the  familiar 
reply  and  Dubois  chuckled  audibly.  He  and  two 
companions  had  forced  the  occupants  of  a  German 
trench  to  surrender,  solely  through  bluff. 

In  his  broken  German  the  intrepid  Frenchman 


80  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

ordered  their  prisoners  to  leave  the  trench  and 
with  their  hands  held  high  above  their  heads  to 
march  towards  the  French  lines.  One  by  one  they 
stepped  out  and  as  the  three  friends  saw  them  out- 
lined indistinctly  against  the  sky  they  counted  six 
Germans.  Three  of  them  had  taken  double  their 
number  of  the  enemy  prisoners. 

*'You  and  Earl  take  them  back,'*  said  Dubois 
to  Leon.  **I'll  stay  here  in  this  trench  and  you*d 
better  tell  the  rest  of  the  fellows  in  our  section  to 
move  up  here.    It 's  much  safer. " 

**A11  right,"  said  Leon  readily,  and  with  his  re- 
volver in  his  hand  to  guard  against  any  attempts 
to  escape  he  and  Earl  set  out  to  conduct  their 
captives  back  to  the  French  lines. 


CHAPTER  IX 


A   CAPTURED   TRENCH 


A  SHORT  time  later  the  two  young  Ameri- 
cans entered  the  French  trenches  and 
turned  their  prisoners  over  to  the  guard. 
Congratulations  and  praise  for  their  exploit  were 
heaped  upon  them  and  it  was  in  vain  that  they 
protested  that  Dubois  should  receive  all  the  credit. 
Leon,  especially,  for  he  had  been  in  the  regiment 
longer  than  Earl,  had  performed  too  many  daring 
feats  to  be  able  to  shift  the  praise  to  some  one  else. 
AU  his  comrades  were  aware  of  his  worth. 

**Too  bad  Jacques  could  not  be  with  you,"  said 
one  of  the  men.  ''He  will  be  furious  when  he 
hears  what  he  missed." 

"He  doesn't  miss  many  things  in  that  line," 
laughed  Leon.  *'It's  a  good  thing  for  him  to  get 
some  rest." 

"Was  he  wounded  badly?"  inquired  another 

soldier. 

81 


82  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

'*No,'*  said  Leon.  **A  cut  across  his  face 
merely/' 

**He  will  be  back  here  to-morrow  then,"  laughed 
the  man.  * '  You  cannot  keep  that  dare-devil  away 
from  the  front  for  long. ' ' 

At  this  moment  Captain  Le  Blanc  approached 
and  stepping  up  to  the  two  brothers  shook  each 
heartily  by  the  hand.  The  informality  and  com- 
radeship among  the  French  troops  is  one  thing 
that  makes  the  army  of  France  so  wonderful. 
They  are  all  working  together  for  one  common 
cause,  and  officers  and  men  both  have  the  same 
object.  The  men  never  take  advantage  of  their 
superiors  however  and  discipline  is  not  interfered 
with. 

''Fine  work,  boys,"  said  Captain  Le  Blanc  cor- 
dially. ''That  was  a  splendid  and  nervy  thing 
you  did." 

The  two  boys  muttered  their  thanks,  too  much 
embarrassed  to  say  anything. 

' '  I  shall  see  to  it  that  you  are  mentioned  in  the 
dispatches,"  continued  the  captain. 

"And  Dubois,"  exclaimed  Leon  quickly. 

* '  Yes, ' '  laughed  the  captain.    ' '  And  Dubois. ' ' 

Captain  Le  Blanc  passed  on,  leaving  two  very 
happy  boys  behind  him.    It  was  a  great  honor  to 


A  CAPTURED  TRENCH  83 

be  mentioned  in  the  official  dispatches  and  nat- 
urally the  two  brothers  were  proud. 

**  Jacques  will  be  jealous  of  you,"  remarked  the 
soldier  who  had  been  talking  about  the  young 
Frenchman  a  few  moments  before. 

"Jacques  is  jealous  of  nobody,"  exclaimed  Leon 
warmly.  "He  never  has  been  and  he  never  will 
be.  He  is  too  fine  a  fellow  and  has  too  much 
sense." 

"That's  right,"  agreed  another  soldier  nearby. 
"He  is  not  the  sort  ever  to  begrudge  another  man 
an  honor. ' ' 

"Dubois  is  still  out  in  that  trench,  Leon,"  Earl 
reminded  his  brother.  "I  think  we'd  better  go 
out  to  him,  don't  you?'* 

*  *  I  certainly  do, "  exclaimed  Leon  readily.  *  *  All 
you  men  are  coming  too,  aren't  you?" 

The  little  gathering  thus  addressed  were  very 
eager  to  go,  and  soon  the  process  of  shifting  their 
position  was  under  way.  One  by  one  the  men 
crept  forward  to  the  captured  trench  and  before 
many  moments  had  elapsed  Leon,  Earl  and  Du- 
bois were  esconsed  in  their  position  with  nine  more 
of  their  companions. 

"This  is  the  safest  place  I've  struck  yet,"  ex- 
claimed Dubois.    "All  the  German  shells  go  over 


84  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

our  heads  here.  We're  just  as  safe  here  as  we 
would  be  ten  miles  behind  the  firing  line." 

**You  wouldn't  be  absolutely  safe  that  far 
away,"  said  Earl. 

**Well  pretty  nearly  so  anyway,"  said  Dubois. 

* '  How  about  Dunkirk  ? ' '  demanded  Earl.  *  *  See 
what  they  did  there. ' ' 

**What  did  they  do?"  asked  one  of  the  men. 

**They  dropped  a  shell  in  the  town  from  a  dis- 
tance of  twenty-two  miles.  "What  good  would  ten 
miles  do  you  against  a  gun  like  that?" 

**The  Germans  certainly  have  some  wonderful 
guns  all  right,"  said  Dubois.  *'They  won't  touch 
us  here  though  I  guess. ' ' 

* 'We're  sort  of  between  the  fires,  aren't  we?" 
remarked  Leon. 

"Yes,"  said  one  of  the  men,  ''and  I'm  afraid  it 
is  going  to  be  tiresome  here  after  awhile." 

* '  Tiresome ! ' '  exclaimed  Earl.  ' '  It  seems  to  me 
there  ifc  enough  going  on  around  here  to  suit  any- 
body." 

*'Not  for  me,"  said  the  man,  Armande  by  name. 
*'I  think  I'll  go  out  and  take  a  look  around." 

"You're  crazy,"  exclaimed  Dubois.  "What's 
the  use  in  doing  a  thing  like  that?  You'll  only  get 
killed  and  what  good  will  it  do?" 


A  CAPTURED  TRENCH  85 

*  *  I  won 't  be  killed, ' '  laughed  Armande.  *  *  Those 
Boches,  they  cannot  shoot. ' ' 

*' Don't  you  fool  yourself,"  said  Dubois 
seriously.  ''Of  course  they  can  shoot  and  shoot 
well  too.    You  are  foolish,  Armande." 

"Perhaps,"  Armande  admitted  with  a  shrug. 
**At  any  rate  I  shall  now  crawl  over  and  have  a 
look  at  the  German  trenches  while  it  is  yet  dark. 
I  shall  be  back  before  long. ' ' 

"I  hope  so,"  muttered  Dubois  soberly. 

Armande  crept  out  of  the  trench  and  disap- 
peared into  the  night.  It  is  one  of  the  remarkable 
things  about  war  that  men  soon  seem  to  lose  all 
fear  of  death.  The  noise  of  the  big  guns  and  the 
shell  fire  terrifies  them  at  first,  but  they  rapidly 
become  accustomed  to  it  and  it  makes  but  small 
impression  on  them.  Life  in  the  trenches  becomes 
very  dull  and  the  men  do  all  kinds  of  foolhardy 
things  just  to  experience  a  thrill.  They  laugh  at 
death  and  even  play  with  it. 

Such  a  man  was  Armande  and  though  Dubois 
had  tried  to  prevent  his  leaving  the  trench,  the  fact 
that  he  insisted  upon  going  did  not  make  much 
impression  upon  him.  Many  others  had  done 
things  equally  foolish. 

*'He  may  get  back,"  remarked  Leon. 


86  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

*'0h,  yes,"  said  Dubois  lightly.  ''The  night  is 
dark  and  he  may  not  be  seen. ' ' 

**How  far  is  it  to  the  German  trenches  from 
here?"  asked  Earl. 

*  *  A  hundred  yards  I  guess, ' '  said  Dubois.  * '  I  'm 
not  quite  sure  though." 

''About  that,"  said  Leon.  "What's  he  going 
to  do?" 

"He  said  he  was  going  to  go  over  and  take  a 
look  at  the  German  trenches,"  said  Earl.  "I  sup- 
pose that's  where  he's  gone." 

Many  moments  passed  and  Armande  did  not 
return.  The  roar  of  the  cannonade  seemed  to  be 
slackening  as  time  went  on  but  it  was  still  violent. 
No  orders  had  come  to  the  men  as  to  what  they 
were  expected  to  do  and  consequently  they  sur- 
mised that  they  were  not  to  attack  again  that 
morning.  Before  a  charge  the  soldiers  were 
usually  notified  so  that  they  could  have  full  oppor- 
tunity for  preparation. 

"What's  that?"  demanded  Earl  suddenly,  dur- 
ing a  slight  lull  in  the  artillery  duel.  Armande 
had  been  gone  about  an  hour. 

"What's  what?"  asked  Leon. 

"I  thought  I  heard  a  bell  ring." 

"A  bell!    What  kind  of  a  bell?" 


A  CAPTURED  TRENCH  87 

**It  sounded  like  a  cow-bell  to  me.'* 

**How  could  that  be?  What  would  a  cow-bell 
be  doing  out  here  on  the  battlefield?  I  suppose 
the  Germans  are  grazing  their  cattle  out  there.'* 

"Don't  be  silly,  Leon,"  exclaimed  Earl. 

Suddenly  the  bell  sounded  again;  there  was  no 
mistaking  it  this  time  and  all  the  men  heard  it. 
It  was  immediately  followed  by  a  burst  of  violent 
machine-gun  fire  from  the  German  trenches. 

"What  do  you  suppose  it  is?"  demanded  Leon 
excitedly. 

"It's  a  bell,"  said  Earl.  "I  told  you  that  be- 
fore." 

"  It 's  very  strange, ' '  muttered  Dubois.  *  *  I  can- 
not understand  it." 

The  men  were  all  alert  now,  however,  and  on 
the  watch  for  any  trick  that  the  Germans  might 
try  to  play  on  them.  Every  one  was  mystified  and 
at  a  complete  loss  to  understand  the  strange 
occurrence.  A  half -hour  passed  and  the  perform- 
ance was  not  repeated, 

"Where  can  Armande  be  I  wonder,"  said 
Earl.  / 

"It  certainly  seems  as  if  he  ought  to  be  back 
by  this  time,  doesn't  it?"  exclaimed  Leon 
anxiously. 


88  FIGHTING  IN  FEANCE 

"He's  dead,"  said  Dubois  shortly. 

**What  makes  you  think  so?"  asked  Earl. 

*'Well  he  hasn't  come  back  yet,  has  he?'* 

"No." 

"Then  he  must  be  dead  and  I  believe  that  bell 
ringing  had  something  to  do  with  it  too. ' ' 

"In  what  way?"  asked  Leon. 

"I  don't  know,"  said  Dubois.  "That's  what  I 
think  though. ' ' 

Armande  was  not  dead  however.  A  moment 
later  Dubois  heard  his  name  called  and  the  miss- 
ing soldier  slid  over  the  parapet  and  into  the 
trench  once  more.  * '  Slid, ' '  expresses  what  he  did 
exactly,  for  he  shot  forward  head-first  and  fell  in 
a  heap  on  the  bottom  of  the  trench.  He  lay  there 
moaning. 

"Armande,"  cried  Dubois  bending  over  him. 
"What  happened?" 

"They  got  me,"  said  the  wounded  soldier 
simply. 

"Where?    How?" 

"In  the  leg.    A  machine-gun  bullet." 

"Where  have  you  been?" 

"Over  to  the  German  trenches.  They  shot  me 
about  half  an  hour  ago  and  it  has  taken  me  all  this 
time  to  get  back  here." 


A  CAPTURED  TRENCH  89 

*'Send  word  to  the  Red  Cross,"  said  Dubois  to 
one  of  the  men.  *'I  wish  I  could  do  something 
for  you,'*  he  added  to  his  wounded  comrade.  **It 
is  so  dark  here  I  cannot  see  a  thing.  Are  you 
badly  hurt?" 

**No;  just  above  the  knee.  It  is  painful  and  it 
was  hard  to  walk  but  I  doubt  if  it  is  serious. ' ' 

*  *  I  hope  not, ' '  exclaimed  Leon  heartily.  * '  How 
did  they  happen  to  see  you?" 

*  *  Did  you  hear  a  bell  ? ' '  asked  Armando. 

*'We  certainly  did,"  exclaimed  Leon.  *'What 
was  it?" 

**It  was  my  finish,"  said  Armando.  **It  was  a 
clever  ruse  on  the  part  of  the  Boches  however  and 
I  must  give  them  credit  for  it." 

*  *  What  was  it  ? "  asked  Earl  eagerly.  *  *  Can  you 
tell  us  about  it?" 

"It  "was  like  this,"  said  Armande.  *'I  crawled 
out  of  the  trench  here  and  began  to  creep  over  to- 
wards the  German  positions.  It  was  so  very  dark 
that  I  could  see  practically  nothing,  but  I  knew  the 
general  direction  and  so  kept  on.  I  traveled  very 
slowly  and  no  incident  of  importance  took  place 
for  some  time. 

*' Finally  I  could  see  the  German  barbed  wire 
flickering  faintly  just  ahead  of  me.    I  crept  closer. 


90  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

I  did  not  make  a  sound,  and  unnoticed  I  came 
directly  up  to  the  wire  entanglements.  I  was  so 
near  I  could  hear  the  Boches  talking  to  one  an- 
other in  their  trenches. ' ' 

He  paused  and  uttered  a  low  groan. 

"What  is  it?"  cried  Dubois  anxiously.  ** Can't 
I  help  you,  Armande!** 

"Will  you  tie  something  around  my  leg?  It 
throbs  badly." 

"Perhaps  you'd  better  not  try  to  talk,"  sug- 
gested Leon. 

"It  is  not  that,"  exclaimed  Armande.  "It  is 
just  my  leg.  Ah,  that  is  better,"  he  sighed  as 
Dubois  wrapped  the  wound  tightly  with  a  long 
bandage  produced  by  one  of  the  men. 

"Well,  as  I  was  saying  or  was  about  to  say,"  he 
continued  after  a  moment,  "I  could  hear  them 
talking.  I  crouched  there  and  listened  for  a  few 
moments  trying  to  make  out  what  they  were  say- 
ing. I  know  but  little  German  however  and  I 
could  only  catch  a  word  here  and  there  and  as 
they  made  no  sense  I  quickly  became  tired  of 
listening. 

"It  struck  me  as  a  fine  chance  to  give  the  Boches 
a  good  scare  however.  I  determined  to  wake  them 
up  with  a  hand-grenade.    I  took  one  in  my  hand 


A  CAPTURED  TRENCH  91 

and  prepared  to  hurl  it.  I  raised  myself  slightly 
from  the  ground  and  took  hold  of  a  strand  of  the 
barked  wire  to  steady  my  aim.  No  sooner  had  I 
touched  the  wire  than  a  bell  rang.** 

**I  heard  it,"  cried  Earl  eagerly. 

**I  had  touched  the  wire  but  lightly,"  continued 
Armande,  **and  the  bell  did  not  ring  loudly.  It 
startled  me  however  and  I  drew  back  quickly.  I 
also  noticed  that  the  Germans  immediately  ceased 
talking.  It  did  not  occur  to  me  that  my  touching 
the  wire  had  made  the  bell  ring  however.  I 
thought  it  a  mere  coincidence. 

"For  some  moments  I  lay  there  quietly  and 
presently  the  Boches  began  to  talk  again.  I 
waited  what  seemed  to  me  a  long  time.  Then  once 
more  I  took  the  hand-grenade  in  my  right  hand 
and  raised  myself  on  one  elbow.  I  determined  to 
act  quickly  this  time.  Again  I  seized  the  wire 
with  my  left  hand  and  hurled  the  grenade. 

*' Squarely  into  the  trench  it  landed  and  I  have 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  it  did  good  work. 
I  had  not  caught  them  napping  however.  I  had 
seized  the  wire  much  more  firmly  the  second  time 
and  at  the  same  instant  when  I  threw  my  missile 
the  bell  rang  violently;  much  more  so  than 
formerly. 


92  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

*'It  was  probably  hanging  on  the  wire,*'  ex- 
claimed Earl. 

''Exactly,"  agreed  Armande.  '*As  soon  as 
anyone  touched  the  wire  the  bell  would  ring.  It 
warned  the  Germans  and  I  must  admit  it  was  a 
clever  trick. ' ' 

**It  surely  was,"  agreed  Leon.  "What  hap- 
pened then?" 

*'I  jumped  to  my  feet  and  started  to  run,"  ex- 
claimed Armande.  '*I  had  gone  but  a  few  steps 
however  when  they  cut.  loose  with  their  rapid- 
firers.  A  second  later  I  was  down,  shot  through 
the  leg.  I  guess  the  Boches  thought  a  whole  regi- 
ment was  making  a  surprise  attack  on  them.  They 
certainly  used  enough  ammunition  to  wipe  out 
two  regiments." 

** Funny  no  more  bullets  struck  you,  Armande," 
said  Dubois.  *'How  do  you  account  for  that? 
Was  their  aim  poor?" 

"When  I  fell  I  rolled  into  a  shell-hole,"  said  the 
wounded  man.  "That  afforded  me  good  protec- 
tion from  their  bullets.  After  awhile,  when  they 
discovered  that  they  were  not  being  attacked,  they 
ceased  firing  and  I  crawled  back  here.  It  was 
hard  going  I  can  tell  you." 

"I  should  think  it  might  be,"  exclaimed  Leon 


A  CAPTURED  TRENCH  93 

grimly.  **I  hope  your  wound  won't  prove  to  be 
serious,  Armande." 

At  this  moment  two  of  the  Red  Cross  men  ar- 
rived with  a  stretcher  and  carried  the  wounded 
soldier  away. 

**Well,"  said  Earl  when  they  had  gone,  **I 
should  say  that  Armande  ought  to  be  pretty  glad 
that  he  got  nothing  worse  than  a  bullet  in  his  leg. 
I  think  he's  lucky  to  be  alive." 

*'I  think  so  too,"  agreed  Leon.  **That  was  a 
great  stunt  for  the  Germans  to  hang  that  bell  on 
the  wire  like  that,  wasn't  it?" 

**It  was  indeed,"  said  Dubois.  **I  know  what 
we  can  do  to  them  though." 


w 


CHAPTER  X 

A  BALL   OF  TWINE 

«<ir  T   THAT  can  we  do  to  the  Germans, 
Dubois  ? ' '  asked  Leon  curiously. 
**We  can  play  a  trick  on  them. 
What's  the  use  in  allowing  them  to  have  all  the 
funr» 

**But  what  do  you  intend  to  do?" 

**I  will  show  you  presently.  First  of  all  I  want 
a  long  piece  of  stout  twine.  I  shall  need  a  whole 
ball  of  it  I  guess." 

**What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it!"  demanded 
Leon. 

"You  will  see  very  soon,"  said  Dubois  evasively. 
**I  must  get  the  twine  before  we  do  anything 
else." 

He  made  his  way  along  the  trench  to  the  spot 
where  the  field  telephone  had  been  installed  and 
had  a  message  sent  back  for  the  next  courier  who 
came  out  to  their  position  to  bring  with  him  a  ball 
of  strong  string. 

**I  wish  you'd  tell  us  what  your  plans  are," 

94 


A  BALL!  OF  TWINE  9& 

said  Earl  when  Dubois  had  rejoined  him  and  his 
twin  brother. 

**You  will  know  in  good  time,"  said  Dubois. 
**If  I  were  to  tell  you  now  you  would  try  to  re- 
strain me.    You  would  say  I  was  foolish." 

"Are  you  going  over  to  the  German  trenches?" 
demanded  Leon. 

**Wait  and  see,"  smiled  Dubois. 

**Well  all  I  can  say  is  that  if  you  try  a  thing 
like  that  you  are  crazy,"  exclaimed  Leon  warmly. 
**You  saw  how  much  good  Armande's  expedition 
did  and  what  happened  to  him." 

**I  knew  you'd  object  to  my  plan,"  said  Dubois. 

"Then  you  admit  that  you  are  going  over  to 
their  trenches  ? ' ' 

"I  didn't  say  so.  Let's  not  talk  about  it  any 
more." 

Although  both  boys  tried  hard  they  were  unable 
to  draw  Dubois  into  further  conversation  concern- 
ing his  project.  The  talk  finally  drifted  into  other 
channels  and  the  Frenchman's  plans,  whatever 
they  were,  were  finally  forgotten. 

"Who  was  looking  for  a  ball  of  twine?'*  asked 
a  voice  about  a  half -hour  later.  "Who  was  it  that 
wanted  the  string?" 

The  voice  seemed  strangely  familiar  to  the  ears 


96  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

of  both  Leon  and  Earl.  They  peered  eagerly 
through  the  darkness  to  see  if  they  could  discover 
the  identity  of  the  speaker.  All  they  could  see 
was  the  faint  outline  of  some  soldier's  figure. 
The  man,  whoever  it  was,  had  a  bandage  tied 
around  his  face. 

"Did  anyone  here  want  twine?"  he  asked  again. 

"Jacques!"  cried  Leon  eagerly.  "\Vhat  are 
you  doing  here  f ' ' 

"Leon,  is  it  you?"  demanded  Jacques,  for  it 
was  the  daring  young  Frenchman  who  had  re- 
turned.   '  *  Where  is  Earl  ? ' ' 

"Right  here,"  exclaimed  that  individual  briskly. 
"But  what  are  you  doing  back  here  so  soon?" 

"Why  shouldn't  I  come  back?" 

"But  you  were  wounded." 

"Merely  a  scratch.  The  silly  old  doctors 
wanted  me  to  remain  in  the  base  hospital  for  a 
day  or  two  but  that  is  ridiculous. ' ' 

"You  are  reckless,  Jacques,"  said  Leon  reprov- 
ingly.   *  *  Still  I  am  awfully  glad  to  see  you  again. ' ' 

"Who  wants  this  twine?"  asked  Jacques. 
"When  I  started  back  they  gave  it  to  me  to  bring 
out  to  some  one  in  this  trench  who  had  telephoned 
in  for  it." 

"I  want  it." 


A  BALL  OF  TWINE  97 

**Who  are  you!'* 

"Dubois." 

**Ali,  Dubois.  What  use  can  you  have  for 
string?" 

**Let  me  have  it  and  I'll  soon  show  you." 

Jacques  handed  the  twine  over  to  Dubois,  who 
immediately  unwound  a  small  section  of  it  and 
tested  its  strength. 

''That  is  fine,"  he  murmured  approvingly. 
*  *  Now  for  the  fun. ' ' 

Without  waiting  a  moment  longer  he  placed  the 
ball  of  string  in  his  pocket  and  climbed  out  of  the 
trench.  He  did  not  even  take  his  gun  with  him. 
His  companions  were  too  surprised  by  his  strange 
actions  to  offer  any  objection  and  he  had  disap- 
peared into  the  darkness  almost  before  they  were 
aware  of  it. 

* '  Well, ' '  exclaimed  Leon.  ' '  What  do  you  think 
of  that  crazy  man!" 

''Where's  he  going!"  asked  Jacques,  puzzled 
by  the  actions  of  his  friend. 

' '  Over  to  the  German  trenches  I  think. ' ' 

"What  for?" 

"To  get  killed  I  guess,"  said  Leon.  "I  don't 
see  what  else  it  can  be." 

"He  must  have  some  object  I  should  think," 


98  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

said  Jacques.  ** Wouldn't  he  tell  yon  what  it 
was?'* 

"No,  he  wouldn't,' '  answered  Earl.  **^It  has 
something  to  do  with  a  bell  though  I'm  sure," 
and  he  related  the  story  of  Armande's  adven- 
ture. 

** Perhaps  he's  going  to  try  to  fix  it  so  it  won't 
ring  any  more,"  suggested  Jacques.  **He's  not 
afraid  of  anything  you  know." 

**It's  not  a  question  of  being  afraid,"  said  Leon 
warmly.  *'It's  a  question  of  using  good  common 
sense." 

The  three  boys  waited  anxiously  for  the  return 
of  their  comrade  but  the  moments  passed  and  he 
did  not  reappear.  The  firing  had  been  fitful  all 
through  the  night ;  the  steady  booming  of  the  big 
cannon  being  broken  by  an  occasional  burst  of 
machine-gun  fire. 

"He'll  never  come  back  I'm  afraid,"  said  Earl 
slowly  after  the  lapse  of  half  an  hour. 

*  *  Don 't  give  up  yet, ' '  exclaimed  Jacques.  * '  He 
may  return." 

"I'd  like  to  know  why  he  went,"  said  Leon. 
"Why  was  he  so  mysterious?" 

At  this  moment,  however,  Dubois  suddenly  re- 
appeared and  clambered  back  into  the  trench. 


A  BALL  OF  TWINE  99 

** Dubois!"  cried  Leon  eagerly.  ** Where  have 
you  been!'* 

''Over  to  see  Fritzie,"  chuckled  Dubois  gayly. 
''Fritzie'*  was  the  name  by  which  the  French  and 
English  sometimes  referred  to  the  Germans. 

''Are  you  hurt?"  demanded  Leon. 

"  Hurt  ?"  echoed  Dubois.    ' '  I  never  felt  better.  *  * 

"What  have  you  been  doing?" 

"I'll  show  you  in  just  a  moment,"  and  Dubois 
busied  himself  with  something  he  held  in  his 
hands.  It  was  too  dark  for  his  companions  to 
make  out  just  what  he  was  doing. 

After  a  few  moments  the  reckless  Frenchman 
turned  to  his  friends.  His  preparations,  what- 
ever they  were,  evidently  were  complete. 

"Now  for  the  fun,"  he  exclaimed.    "Listen I" 

He  made  a  quick  motion  with  his  right  arm  as 
though  he  were  jerking  something.  From  across 
the  battlefield  came  the  faint  sound  of  a  bell.  Al- 
most instantly  followed  the  sharp  rattle  of  many 
machine-guns  being  fired  at  once. 

"Hear  that?"  demanded  Dubois  enthusiastic- 
ally.   "Isn't  that  great?" 

"What  are  you  doing?"  asked  Leon  curiously. 
"You  don't  mean  to  say  that  you  made  that  bell 
ring." 


100  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**0h,  is  that  so?"  exclaimed  Dubois  gleefully. 
**I'll  show  you  again  as  soon  as  they  stop  that 
noise  over  there. ' ' 

Gradually  the  fire  from  the  German  trenches 
died  down  and  the  front  regained  its  former  state 
of  comparative  quiet.  Once  again  Dubois  jerked 
his  arm  and  again  came  the  sound  of  the  bell,  fol- 
lowed by  the  sudden  burst  of  machine-gun  and 
rifle  fire. 

"Dubois!  What  have  you  got  there!"  de- 
manded Earl. 

**A  string,"  said  Dubois  almost  beside  himself 
with  laughter. 

*'That  ball  of  twine  I  brought  out?"  asked  Earl. 

*'Yes,"  said  Dubois.    *' That's  the  one." 

*'And  you  sneaked  out  and  tied  it  to  that  belli" 
demanded  Leon. 

**Well  not  exactly  to  the  bell,"  replied  Dubois. 
**I  tied  it  to  the  wire  right  along  side  the  bell 
though;  it  serves  the  same  purpose." 

Again  he  pulled  the  string  and  the  previous  per- 
formance instantly  was  repeated.  The  bell  rang 
and  the  Germans  fired  violently.  Dubois  was  de- 
lighted beyond  all  comprehension  with  his  exploit, 
and  the  evident  nervousness  of  the  enemy  every 
time  the  bell  sounded  amused  him  immensely. 


A  BALL  OF  TWINE  101 

**You're  a  dare-devil,"  exclaimed  Leon.  "You 
took  an  awful  chance  just  to  have  a  little  fun  with 
the  Germans." 

**It's  not  a  little  fun,"  Dubois  corrected  him. 
"It's  a  lot  of  fun." 

Many  of  their  comrades  gathered  around  him 
to  see  the  performance  and  at  intervals  all  through 
the  remainder  of  the  night  the  men  amused  them- 
selves by  ringing  the  bell  and  startling  the  Ger- 
mans. Along  towards  morning  Leon  gave  the 
string  a  vicious  tug  but  no  bell  sounded  and  the 
twine  seemed  not  to  be  attached  to  anything. 

"One  of  their  bullets  has  cut  the  string,"  said 
Dubois  ruefully.  "Our  fun  is  over  for  the  pres- 
ent I'm  afraid." 


CHAPTER  XI 

BELIEVED 

» 

THE  following  day  the  French  did  not  try 
to  push  their  advantage  any  farther  nor 
did  the  Germans  launch  an  attack  to 
recover  their  lost  positions.  Both  sides  seemed 
worn  out  by  their  great  exertions  and  were  ap- 
parently content  to  allow  matters  to  remain  as 
they  were,  for  the  present  at  least. 

The  big  gun  duel  still  continued  but  it  had  lost 
its  intensity  and  the  infantry  fighting  came  almost 
to  a  standstill.  The  men  complained  of  the  in- 
action, for  the  life  in  the  trenches  was  monotonous 
with  but  little  to  vary  it.  They  were  constantly 
on  the  alert  and  always  prepared  to  meet  any 
surprise  attack  of  the  enemy  but  there  was  but 
little  for  the  men  to  do. 

**I  don't  like  it,'*  said  Dubois  peevishly  one  day. 
**It  is  getting  on  my  nerves." 

"This  quiet  life  I  suppose  you  mean?"  laughed 
Leon  sarcastically. 

**  Exactly." 

108 


RELIEVED  103 

'*I  don't  call  that  very  quiet,"  exclaimed  Leon 
as  one  of  the  German's  huge  shells  sped  over  their 
heads  with  the  roar  and  rattle  of  an  express  train. 
They  could  hear  it  explode  several  miles  away  with 
a  sound  as  if  some  one  had  dropped  a  large  plank 
upon  a  pile  of  lumber. 

*'But  we're  not  doing  anything,"  objected 
Dubois. 

* 'We're  alive  anyway,"  said  Earl.  **  That's 
something. ' ' 

**But  why  don't  they  launch  a  great  big  offen- 
sive and  drive  these  Germans  out  of  our  coun- 
try?" demanded  Dubois.  **Just  sitting  here  in 
the  trenches  is  not  going  to  free  France. ' ' 

**Eemember  this,  Dubois,"  Jacques  reminded 
his  impulsive  countryman.  **It  takes  thousands 
of  guns  and  millions  of  shells  to  make  the  kind  of 
an  attack  you  are  talking  about." 

''Haven't  we  got  them!" 

"Not  yet,  I'm  afraid.  General  Joffre  won't 
send  his  men  out  until  he  has  sufficient  backing  for 
them  either. ' ' 

"Well  if  we  haven't  got  enough  guns  and  am- 
munition," persisted  Dubois,  "why  don't  we  hurry 
up  and  get  them?" 

"It   takes   time,"   smiled   Leon.    "You   can't 


104  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

build  factories  and  teach  people  how  to  manufac- 
ture powder  and  shells  over  night,  you  know." 

*  *  Germany  seems  to  have  enough, ' '  said  Dubois. 

*'Yes,"  agreed  Leon,  **but  they  have  been  pre- 
paring for  this  war  for  a  long  time.  Russia, 
France  and  England  were  caught  napping." 

"What  would  they  have  done  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  United  States?"  demanded  Earl  breaking 
into  the  conversation.  ** We've  sent  millions  of 
dollars'  worth  of  stuff  to  the  Allies." 

**Tell  me  about  that,"  exclaimed  Dubois.  **Is 
America  sending  supplieo  to  Germany  too  ? ' ' 

** Practically  none,  I  guess,"  said  Earl. 

**But  why  not?  Is  it  neutral  for  a  country  to 
sell  to  one  side  and  not  to  the  other?" 

* 'America  would  sell  to  Germany  just  the  same 
as  to  Russia,  France,  and  England,"  said  Earl. 
''The  trouble  is  that  Germany  can't  get  the  stuff 
into  her  country." 

"Because  of  the  English  fleet?" 

"Exactly.  The  English  fleet  has  swept  the 
German  navy  off  the  ocean.  The  only  place  left 
for  them  is  the  Baltic." 

"That's  wonderful,  isn't  it?"  exclaimed  Dubois. 

"Yes,  it  is,  and  most  people  don't  give  England 
half  the  credit  she  deserves  for  that.    Just  be- 


RELIEVED  105 

cause  her  fleet  doesn't  fight  a  battle  every  day  and 
do  a  lot  of  grandstand  work  people  think  it  isn't 
doing  anything  important.  In  my  opinion  it  has 
won  the  biggest  victory  of  the  whole  war  so  far.'* 

**By  keeping  the  German  fleet  bottled  up  you 
mean?"  asked  Jacques. 

** That's  it,"  said  Earl  decidedly.  *'Take  the 
English  fleet  away  and  let  the  German  warships 
come  out  of  their  hole  and  see  what  would  happen 
to  the  Allies!" 

**What  would  happen?"  inquired  Dubois. 

**Well  first  of  all  they'd  stop  the  shipment  of 
all  supplies  for  us  from  America.  Think  what 
that  would  mean.  Then  again  they'd  soon  starve 
out  England  and  she  wouldn't  be  able  to  send  any 
more  soldiers  over  here  to  France." 

*'They  haven't  sent  so  many  anyway,"  muttered 
Dubois. 

**Yes,"  agreed  Earl,  **but  they're  sending  them 
now  all  right.  England  only  had  a  small  army  at 
the  beginning  of  the  war  and  it  takes  time  to  make 
a  good  soldier  just  as  it  takes  time  to  make  a  good 
anything  else.  They'll  send  plenty  of  men,  don't 
you  worry,  and  I  feel  sure  there  are  a  good  many 
more  here  right  now  than  you  have  any  idea  of." 

** Probably,"    agreed   Dubois.    **At   any   rate 


106  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

they  helped  us  a  lot  at  the  beginning  of  the  war 
when  the  Boches  were  driving  us  on  the  run  back 
towards  Paris.'* 

*'Then  you  think  it's  all  right  for  the  United 
States  to  sell  supplies  to  the  Allies  and  not  to  Ger- 
many?" asked  Jacques.  **I  must  say  that  I  am 
glad  that  is  what  they  are  doing  anyway." 

* '  Certainly  it  is  all  right, ' '  exclaimed  Earl.  *  *  It 
is  permitted  by  international  law  and  every  nation 
in  the  world  has  done  the  same  thing  at  some  time 
or  another.  Just  because  this  happens  to  be  the 
biggest  war  in  the  history  of  the  world  and  be- 
cause as  a  result  the  United  States  is  selling  more 
supplies,  doesn't  change  the  facts,  does  it!  As  I 
said,  we  'd  sell  to  Germany  just  as  quickly  as  to  the 
Allies.  Because  they  can't  get  the  stuff  isn't  our 
fault." 

**Yea,  Earl,  you're  quite  a  speechmaker,"  cried 
his  brother  gleefully. 

"Isn't  what  I  said  true?"  demanded  Earl. 

**0f  course  it  is.  Why  if  we  refused  to  sell  to 
the  Allies  now  that  would  mean  that  we  were 
actively  on  the  side  of  Germany  and  nothing  we 
could  do  would  be  of  greater  help  to  her  just  now." 

The  order  was  passed  along  the  trench  that  the 
regiment  was  to  retire  and  their  places  were  to  be 


RELIEVED  107 

taken  by  fresh  troops.  The  prospect  of  reaching 
a  place  where  the  enemy's  shells  would  not  be 
roaring  around  their  ears  was  a  pleasant  one  to 
many  of  the  men;  the  strain  of  the  first  line 
trenches  is  a  heavy  one  for  any  man.  Others  how- 
ever were  displeased,  for  they  had  no  wish  to  be 
absent  during  any  possible  fighting. 

*^The  idea  of  being  able  to  take  a  bath  appeals 
to  me,"  exclaimed  Leon  eagerly  when  he  heard 
of  the  order.     *  *  I  am  certainly  dirty.  * ' 

**We  all  are  that,"  laughed  Jacques,  **but  what 
do  you  expect?  A  man  can't  roll  around  in  the 
smoke  and  dirt  the  way  we  have  the  last  few  days 
and  not  get  dirty." 

"We  haven't  had  our  clothes  off  either,"  said 
Earl. 

**Just  suppose  the  people  at  home  could  see 
what  we  look  like, ' '  chuckled  Leon.  ' '  They  'd  dis- 
own us,  I'm  afraid." 

Many  of  the  soldiers  in  the  trench  with  these 
three  young  soldiers — for  Dubois  was  considerably 
older  than  they — had  grown  beards.  These  were 
caked  with  mud  and  the  long  unkempt  hair  and 
soiled  uniforms  of  the  men  gave  them  a  very 
ferocious  appearance.  Many  of  us  have  thought 
of  most  Frenchmen  as  little  fellows  but  these  men 


108  FIGHTING  IN  FEANCE 

were  great  strapping,  brawny  giants.  As  to  size 
and  strength  they  compared  equally  if  not  favor- 
ably with  the  Germans. 

A  short  time  later  the  relief  regiment  arrived 
and  the  men  who  had  won  and  held  the  new  French 
front  gave  way  to  the  newcomers.  They  filed  out 
of  the  first-line  trench  and  entering  the  communi- 
cating trench  made  their  way  back.  Several 
miles  they  walked,  and  many  a  man  had  long 
thoughts  as  he  recalled  their  last  march  through 
these  trenches  when  they  were  headed  the  other 
way. 

Finally  they  emerged  from  the  trenches  into  the 
open  road.  It  seemed  good  to  feel  the  solid  earth 
under  their  feet  once  more  and  to  be  able  to  walk 
along  across  the  fields.  What  a  relief  after  being 
shut  in  by  the  steep  sides  of  the  trenches  for  so 
long. 

The  roads  were  crowded  with  troops  and 
vehicles  of  all  descriptions.  Great  motor-trucks 
rolled  by  in  an  endless  procession.  Both  sides  of 
the  road  were  crowded  with  them.  On  one  side 
they  went  towards  the  trenches,  loaded  to  their 
utmost  capacity  with  shot  and  shell  with  which 
to  feed  the  hungry  cannon.  Across  the  road  they 
were  returning  empty. 


RELIEVED  109 

A  regiment  of  hussars  passed,  looking  very 
smart  in  their  uniforms  and  plumed  hats.  Their 
mounts  were  newly  groomed  and  sleek.  A  great 
cloud  of  dust  arose  from  the  horses'  hoofs  and  the 
infantry  drew  aside  to  let  them  pass.  Close  be- 
hind the  cavalry  came  a  swift  motor-car.  Every- 
thing on  the  highway  drew  back  to  furnish  a  lane 
for  the  speeding  automobile  which  fairly  seemed 
to  fly  along  the  ground. 

As  it  passed,  Jacques  suddenly  grasped  Leon 
by  the  arm. 

"Did  you  see  who  was  in  that  car!"  he  de- 
manded. 

"No.    Who  was  it?" 

"That  was  President  Poincare,  president  of 
France." 


CHAPTER  Xn 

IN   EEVIEW 

THE  speeding  car  was  lost  in  a  cloud  of  dust 
and  soon  disappeared. 
**Are    you    sure    that    was    President 
Poincarer*  asked  Leon. 

**I  am  sure  of  it,'*  replied  Jacques.  **I  have 
seen  him  several  times  before." 

"What  do  you  suppose  he  is  doing  here?" 

**0n  a  tour  of  inspection  probably.  He  visits 
the  front  frequently." 

The  tired  soldiers  swung  along  the  road,  their 
ranks  thinner  than  they  had  been  a  few  days  be- 
fore. Many  a  brave  son  of  France  had  marched 
to  his  death  when  the  douzieme  had  filed  down  into 
the  trenches  to  lead  the  offensive  a  short  time 
previous.  That  the  regiment  was  held  in  high 
esteem,  however,  was  proved  by  the  fact  that  many 
a  cheer  went  up  as  soon  as  its  battle-scarred 
standard  was  recognized. 

At  length  they  reached  the  village  where  their 

110 


IN  KEVIEW  111 

headquarters  had  been  established  and  every  man 
was  assigned  a  place  in  which  he  was  to  live.  Leon, 
Jacques,  Earl,  and  Dubois  found  themselves  to- 
gether in  the  loft  of  a  barn.  Five  rude  cots,  with 
mattresses  far  from  soft,  were  placed  there  for 
them  to  sleep  on. 

*'Five  bunks  and  only  four  of  us,"  remarked 
Earl.  **I  wonder  who  is  going  to  use  the  extra 
bed.'^ 

"Don't  call  that  thing  a  bed,"  laughed  Leon. 
**I  wouldn't  insult  a  bed." 

"That's  all  right,"  exclaimed  Earl.  "It  looks 
pretty  good  to  me  after  the  trenches.  At  any  rate 
I  can  sleep  on  anything. ' ' 

"So  can  I,"  agreed  Leon  quickly.  "Don't 
think  I'm  complaining.  I'd  like  to  know  who  is 
going  to  use  the  other  bunk  though." 

"Turn  around  and  you'll  see,"  said  Dubois. 

His  three  companions  followed  his  bidding  and 
a  shout  of  welcome  went  up  to  the  newcomer.  He 
limped  slightly  but  there  was  a  grin  on  his  face 
and  he  appeared  to  be  very  happy. 

"Armande!"  cried  Dubois  joyfully.  "I  am 
glad  to  see  you." 

He  rushed  up  to  his  comrade  and  following  the 
French    custom,    kissed    him    on    both    cheeks. 


112  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

Jacques  did  the  same  but  Leon  and  Earl,  though 
they  were  not  less  glad  to  see  their  friend,  con- 
tented themselves  with  welcoming  him  with  a 
hearty  handshake. 

**How  is  your  leg?"  inquired  Jacques  solioit- 
ously. 

**As  sound  as  ever,"  exclaimed  Armande 
quickly.  He  tried  to  execute  a  few  dance  steps  to 
show  his  friends  how  well  his  wound  had  healed, 
but  his  leg  sank  under  him  and  a  shadow  of  pain 
crossed  his  face. 

*  *  Be  careful, ' '  said  Leon  anxiously.  *  *  Don 't  try 
anything  like  that  yet." 

**I  guess  it  is  not  as  well  as  I  thought,"  ad- 
mitted Armande  with  a  wry  smile.  ''It  will  be 
sound  soon  though." 

The  five  soldiers  soon  made  themselves  per- 
fectly at  home  in  their  rude  quarters  and  enjoyed 
themselves  thoroughly.  A  few  days  of  rest 
worked  wonders  with  them  and  with  all  the  others 
in  their  regiment.  At  the  end  of  a  week  the 
men  were  clamoring  to  be  sent  back  into  the 
trenches. 

Daily  drills  were  held  to  keep  the  troops  in  good 
physical  condition  and  the  men  indulged  in  all 
kinds  of  sports  during  their  leisure  hours.    Thou- 


IN  REVIEW  113 

sands  and  thousands  of  soldiers  were  concentrated 
in  and  around  this  town  and  so  wonderful  was  the 
French  organization  that  they  could  be  shifted  to 
any  part  of  the  long  battle  line  almost  at  a  mo- 
ment's notice.  There  seemed  to  be  an  endless 
supply  of  equipment  as  well  as  of  men  and  no 
longer  could  France  say  that  she  was  unprepared. 
The  whole  question  now  was  whether  she  was  pre- 
pared enough  to  undertake  the  great  offensive  the 
soldiers  knew  was  coming  some  time. 

One  day,  at  noontime,  came  the  word  that  that 
afternoon  there  was  to  be  a  review  of  all  the 
troops  stationed  thereabouts. 

**Who  is  going  to  review  us,  do  you  suppose?" 
asked  Earl  of  Armande  who  now  had  recovered 
entirely  from  his  bullet  wound. 

**I  don't  know,"  replied  Armande.  **I  don't 
like  these  reviews  anyway.  For  my  part  I'd  much 
rather  do  some  actual  fighting." 

*'I  guess  you'd  rather  fight  than  anything  else, 
wouldn't  you?"  said  Earl  laughingly. 

* '  I  certainly  would, ' '  exclaimed  Armande.  *  *  At 
least  I  would  as  long  as  these  Boches  are 
in  France.  When  they  are  driven  out  I  want  to 
go  back  to  my  little  farm  and  never  hear  the  sound 
of  another  gun  as  long  as  I  live. ' ' 


114  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**I  hope  you  may  be  able  to  do  that  soon,"  said 
Earl  fervently. 

"If  I  am  still  alive." 

"We'll  hope  for  the  best,"  said  Earl  simply. 

"Suppose  I  am  killed,"  exclaimed  Armande. 
"What  difference  will  it  make?  I  shall  die  for 
my  country  and  what  happier  death  is  there  than 
to  die  for  France?" 

"If  everyone  else  feels  the  same  way  I  don't 
see  how  France  can  be  beaten,"  remarked  Earl, 
much  impressed  by  the  fervor  of  the  impulsive 
Frenchman. 

"Of  course  she  can't  be  beaten,"  cried  Armande, 
"and  of  course  everyone  feels  as  I  do.  Just  as 
surely  as  the  sun  will  rise  to-morrow  France  is 
going  to  come  out  victorious  in  this  war.  They 
can  hold  some  of  our  land  for  a  time  but  they  can't 
kill  our  spirit.  The  spirit  of  France  will  live  for- 
ever and  it  is  spirit  that  wins ;  it  is  unconquerable 
and  it  will  never  give  in  until  justice  and  right 
rule  once  more  in  Europe." 

"Vive  la  France!"  cried  Jacques  lustily.  He 
had  been  sitting  on  the  edge  of  one  of  the  bunks 
attentively  listening  to  the  foregoing  conversa- 
tion. 

"Vive  la  France!"  echoed  Earl  and  the  rafters 


IN  REVIEW  115 

of  the  ramshackle  old  barn  shook  with  the  violence 
of  the  cheer. 

''Inspection  is  at  two  and  the  review  at  three," 
Dubois  reminded  his  comrades  when  they  had 
settled  down  to  a  normal  state  again. 

**Then  we  haven't  much  time,  have  we?"  ex- 
claimed Leon.    ''Let's  get  ready." 

At  two  o'clock,  to  the  second,  the  douzieme  in- 
fantry was  lined  up  for  inspection.  Every  man's 
uniform  had  been  cleaned,  his  shoes  polished  and 
his  rifle  oiled  and  rubbed.  They  all  wore  the  steel 
helmets  adopted  by  the  army  since  the  outbreak 
of  the  war;  these  light  metal  head  coverings  had 
saved  many  a  life  and  prevented  many  a  wound. 
In  the  trench  warfare  the  majority  of  the  wounds 
are  apt  to  be  in  the  head,  for  that  is  all  that  shows 
to  the  enemy;  consequently  the  steel  helmets  had 
proved  themselves  most  useful. 

A  short  time  later  the  regiment  marched  off 
down  the  road  towards  the  large  open  plain  where 
the  review  was  to  be  held.  From  all  directions 
came  other  troops  all  heading  towards  the  same 
spot.  Bands  played  and  the  scene  was  indeed 
a  gala  one.  Few  dress  uniforms  were  to  be  seen 
however.  Occasionally  some  high  officer,  resplen- 
dent in  gold  lace,  whirred  past  in  his  motor-car, 


116  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

but  as  a  rule  the  troops  all  wore  their  service 
•uniforms. 

On  one  edge  of  the  plain  the  douzieme  halted. 
Regiments  filed  by,  some  on  foot  and  some  on 
horseback ;  batteries  of  field  artillery  rattled  past. 
A  murmur  of  approval  swept  along  the  line  as  the 
men  recognized  the  famous  75-millimeter  guns,  the 
best  field  artillery  in  the  world.  These  guns  were 
the  pride  of  the  French  army. 

At  length  the  douzieme  swung  into  place  and 
preceded  by  thousands  and  followed  by  thousands 
it  swept  along.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  see  in 
front  and  behind  appeared  a  forest  of  rifles,  the 
keen-edged  bayonets  gleaming  in  the  sun.  It  was 
a  most  impressive  sight  and  one  to  inspire  confi- 
dence. The  grim-visaged  men  were  not  soldiers 
in  name  only  but  warriors  in  every  sense  of  the 
word. 

Far  across  the  field  marched  the  douzieme  and 
passed  along  in  front  of  those  who  were  there  to 
review  it.  The  troops  all  held  their  guns  at  at- 
tention as  they  passed  and  were  unable  to  catch  a 
very  clear  glimpse  of  the  little  group  of  men  who 
stood  there.  Five  men  stood  out  in  front  of  the 
others  however  and  from  the  corner  of  his  eye 
Leon  did  his  best  to  see  who  they  were. 


IN  REVIEW  117 

''That  little  man  in  the  khaki  suit  was  King 
George  of  England, ' '  he  said  to  Jacques  after  the 
review  was  over  and  they  had  returned  to  their 
quarters.  **I  also  recognized  General  Joffre,  but 
who  was  the  man  with  the  brown  mustache  who 
stood  next  to  King  George  f ' ' 

''Why  that  was  Lord  Kitchener,'*  exclaimed 
Jacques. 

"Who  was  the  big  man  next  to  him?  He  was 
certainly  fine  looking." 

''King  Albert  of  Belgium,"  said  Jacques  in  a 
surprised  tone.  "I  should  think  you'd  recognize 
him." 

"It  was  stupid  of  me  not  to,"  admitted  Leon. 
"Who  was  the  short  man  in  the  frock  coat  and 
silk  hat?    He  didn't  look  like  a  soldier  to  me." 

"He  isn't,"  laughed  Jacques.  "That  was 
President  Poincare;  the  man  who  passed  us  in 
the  automobile  the  other  day. ' ' 

"Of  course  it  was,"  exclaimed  Leon.  "Quite  a 
distinguished  gathering  I  should  say." 

At  this  moment  Dubois  entered  the  loft.  He 
was  evidently  excited. 

"Some  of  these  fellows  have  been  wanting  ex- 
citement," he  exclaimed,  "and  I  guess  they'll  get 
it  soon  enough  all  right." 


118  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

*  *  What  do  you  mean  ? ' '  demanded  Leon. 
"Come  with  me  and  I'll  soon  show  you,"  said 
Dubois. 


CHAPTER  Xm 

A  VOLUNTEBE 

THE  five  soldiers  hurried  outdoors  and  cau- 
tioned by  Dubois  they  stood  together  in 
a  little  group  and  listened  intently 

''Guns,'*  exclaimed  Jacques. 

*'Guns?''  echoed  Dubois.  **I  should  say  there 
were;  thoujands  of  men.  Just  listen  to  that 
cannonade.'* 

A  steady  roar  came  to  the  ears  of  the  soldiers. 
Now  and  again  it  rose  angrily  only  to  sink  down 
again  to  a  low  muttering.  It  did  not  cease  for  a 
moment  however  and  the  most  inexperienced  re- 
cruit could  have  told  that  a  furious  bombardment 
was  taking  place. 

"That  must  be  over  ten  miles  away,'*  said  Du- 
bois, ' '  and  yet  just  see  how  plainly  we  can  hear  it. 
We'll  be  in  that  soon." 

**You  think  sot"  asked  Leon. 

**I'm  sure  of  it;  they'll  begin  to  move  up  re- 
serves pretty  quick." 

"Who's  doing  all  that  firing,  do  you  think T" 

119 


120  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**The  Germans.  They  are  going  to  counter- 
attack and  try  to  win  back  the  positions  we  took 
away  from  them  ten  days  ago. ' ' 

"Do  you  know  that  for  sure?'* 

**No,  that's  just  my  guess,"  said  Dubois.  "Of 
course  I'm  not  sure.'* 

"Well  I  don't  believe  that  German  guns  are  the 
only  ones  busy,"  exclaimed  Earl  with  a  grim  smile. 

"No,  indeed,"  agreed  Dubois  quickly.  "We 
wouldn't  just  sit  still  and  let  them  pound  us  to 
pieces." 

At  this  moment  a  bugle  sounded.  Everyone 
stopped  talking  and  listened  intently;  then  they 
turned  and  hurried  into  their  lodgings.  From  all 
directions  men  could  be  seen  running  in  answer  to 
the  call  and  the  camp  was  immediately  all  bustle 
and  excitement.  There  was  no  confusion  how- 
ever ;  every  man  knew  what  he  was  to  do  and  he 
did  it. 

"I  told  you!"  exclaimed  Dubois  triumphantly. 
"I  knew  they'd  have  us  out  before  much  time  had 
passed." 

"It  must  be  a  terrible  fight,"  remarked  Leon, 
who  was  busily  engaged  in  packing  his  equipment 
and  taking  a  last  look  at  his  rifle. 

"We'll  make  it  so,"  said  Armande   fiercely. 


A  VOLUNTEER  121 

*'Just  let  them  try  to  get  those  positions  away 
from  us;  we'll  show  them." 

A  few  moments  later  the  regiment  was  formed 
in  line  and  without  any  delay  the  march  was  begun. 
Night  was  just  falling  as  they  set  out.  The  men 
laughed  and  joked  and  sang,  seemingly  regard- 
less of  the  danger  into  which  they  were  going  and 
the  thought  of  possible  death  was  apparently  far 
from  their  minds 

As  they  proceeded  the  noise  of  the  bombardment 
grew  steadily  louder.  The  very  earth  shook  with 
the  fury  of  it  and  far  ahead  could  be  seen  an  occa- 
sional flash  from  one  of  the  star  shells  used  to 
search  out  the  enemy's  positions. 

*'Do  you  suppose  the  infantry  have  attacked 
yet!"  asked  Earl  of  Jacques. 

**I  don't  know  how  long  the  bombardment  has 
been  going  on. ' ' 

''They'll  try  to  smash  our  trenches  with  their 
big  guns  before  they  send  their  infantry  out,  won't 
they!" 

*  *  Oh,  I  suppose  so, ' '  said  Jacques.  *  *  That 's  the 
usual  way." 

*  *  Probably  we  '11  arrive  just  in  time  to  bear  the 
whole  weight  of  the  attack,"  remarked  Earl 
grimly. 


122  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

They  entered  the  trenches  and  mile  after  mile 
they  progressed.  The  noise  of  the  artillery  made 
it  almost  impossible  to  talk  now  and  but  few  at- 
tempts at  conversation  were  made.  Nearer  and 
nearer  to  the  front  they  came  until  presently 
they  could  distinguish  the  sharp  rattle  of  the 
machine-guns  above  the  roar  of  the  cannon.  At 
length  they  reached  one  of  the  large  communicat- 
ing trenches  and  there  they  halted. 

**  We're  to  be  held  as  reserves,"  shouted  Jacques 
in  Leon's  ear. 

** What's  that?"  demanded  Leon. 

"We're  to  be  held  as  reserves." 

Leon  nodded  his  head.  No  one  made  much  of 
an  attempt  to  talk.  The  men  huddled  together 
in  the  trench  and  listened  to  the  furious  artillery 
duel  going  on  around  them.  Now  and  again  a 
big  shell  would  burst  near  the  spot  where  they 
were  stationed  and  once  the  five  friends  were 
spattered  with  dirt  thrown  up  by  a  nearby  explo- 
sion. The  earth  rocked  and  it  seemed  as  if  no 
man  could  endure  the  awful  tumult  that  was  going 
on. 

The  Germans  were  deluging  the  French  trenches 
with  a  deadly  hail  of  high  explosive  shells.  They 
tried  to  cover  every  inch  of  the  allied  first  line  and 


A  VOLUNTEER  123 

even  behind  the  front  trenches  they  dropped  a 
steady  stream  of  giant  projectiles. 

Suddenly  the  artillery  fire  slackened. 

**Now  the  infantry  will  charge,"  exclaimed 
Jacques. 

"Poor  fellows,"  muttered  Leon. 

"Yes,"  agreed  Jacques ;  **not  many  of  them  will 
ever  get  past  our  rifles  and  machine  guns." 

**0r  the  seventy-fives,"  added  Earl. 

As  they  stood  talking  an  officer  approached. 

**I  want  a  man  to  volunteer  for  a  very  danger- 
ous mission,"  he  announced  as  he  drew  near. 
"Who  will  go!" 

Immediately  he  was  besieged  on  all  sides  by  an 
excited  crowd  of  men,  every  one  of  them  eager 
and  anxious  to  be  the  one  selected.  Needless  to 
say  Leon,  Earl,  Jacques,  Armande  and  Dubois 
were  among  the  first  to  offer  themselves.  The 
officer  smiled  as  he  saw  how  the  men  responded. 

"I  want  only  one,"  he  said.  "I  can't  use  you 
all." 

"Take  me ;  take  me,"  begged  every  man  eagerly. 

"I  will  select  you,"  he  said,  and  as  he  spoke  he 
laid  his  hand  on  Jacques'  shoulder.  The  rest  of 
the  men  shrank  back  disappointedly. 

*  *  Come  with  me, ' '  directed  the  officer  and  he  and 


124  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

Jacques  walked  rapidly  away.  Jacques  had  no 
conception  what  his  mission  was  to  be,  but  he  was 
not  particularly  curious;  he  knew  that  he  was  to 
do  something  for  France  and  he  was  satisfied. 

Through  the  winding  trenches  they  proceded 
until  they  reached  the  first  line.  Here  the  effects 
of  the  German  bombardment  were  especially 
noticeable.  In  many  places  the  parapets  had  been 
blown  in  and  dead  and  wounded  men  were  lying  all 
about.  Jacques  and  his  conductor  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  these  things,  however.  They  hurried  along 
until  they  finally  came  to  a  portion  of  the  trench 
which  projected  beyond  the  remainder  of  it. 
Jacques  recalled  it  as  the  section  which  he  and  his 
companions  had  occupied  when  Dubois  had  tied 
the  string  to  the  Germans'  bell. 

Here  they  halted ;  the  guns  were  roaring  now  as 
never  before  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that 
one  made  his  voice  heard. 

*'The  Germans  came  out  of  their  trenches  once 
but  we  drove  them  back  with  our  fire  curtain,"  ex- 
plained the  officer. 

"They'll  try  again  though,"  remarked  Jacques. 

*  *  Of  course  they  will  and  that  is  why  I  want  you 
here.  Do  you  see  that  little  mound  out  ahead 
there?" 


A  VOLUNTEER  125 

**Yes/*  replied  Jacques  peering  intently 
through  the  darkness. 

"That  is  a  shelter,"  said  the  officer. 

''And  you  want  me  to  go  out  there." 

*'Yes.  You  will  find  inside  of  it  an  electric 
switchboard;  there  is  only  one  switch  so  you  can- 
not possibly  go  wrong.  When  that  switch  is 
pushed  down  it  connects  with  wires  attached  to 
a  mine  field.  You  are  to  go  out  to  that  shelter 
and  wait  until  the  German  infantry  reaches  a  spot 
one  hundred  feet  in  front  of  you ;  then  you  are  to 
throw  the  switch.  The  mines  will  all  explode  and 
there'll  be  several  less  of  the  enemy  left  to  attack 
us." 

Jacques  saluted  and  immediately  began  to  crawl 
forward.  A  long  narrow  tunnel  had  been  dug 
from  the  trenches  to  this  position  and  through  it 
the  young  soldier  made  his  way  without  mishap. 

Arriving  at  his  goal  he  produced  the  flashlight 
the  officer  had  slipped  into  his  hands  and  looked 
about  him.  Sure  enough,  there  was  the  switch- 
board and  he  felt  no  doubts  about  being  able  to 
carry  out  a  part  at  least  of  his  task.  In  the  front 
of  the  shelter  was  a  narrow  slit.  He  pulled  him- 
self along  to  this  and  peered  out. 

Far  ahead  appeared  the  German  trenches.    The 


126  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

French  shells  were  bursting  all  around  them  and 
the  whole  battlefield  was  a  seething  cauldron  of 
flame.  All  at  once  he  spied  the  German  infantry. 
They  emerged  from  their  positions  in  good  order 
and  made  ready  to  advance.  Evidently  they  had 
decided  that  their  bombardment  had  sufficiently 
devastated  the  French  trenches  and  that  the  time 
to  advance  had  arrived. 

**Huh/'  snorted  Jacques  to  himself.  **If  they 
only  knew  that  our  men  are  digging  new  trenches 
every  minute  and  that  every  shell-hole  has  a  ma- 
chine-gun in  it  they  wouldn't  be  in  such  a  hurry 
to  show  themselves. ' ' 

Such  was  indeed  the  case,  but  the  Germans  could 
not  see  the  hidden  peril.  On  they  came.  Spell- 
bound Jacques  watched  them.  He  had  his  hand 
on  the  switch  but  he  was  so  nervous  he  decided  to 
withdraw  it  for  fear  he  should  set  it  off  too  soon. 
A  hundred  feet  away  from  him  the  officer  had  said 
the  mines  were  planted.  The  Germans  were  over 
two  hundred  yards  distant  now. 

Still  they  advanced.  The  French  allowed  them 
to  come  forward  with  but  slight  opposition  until 
they  reached  a  spot  some  two  hundred  yards  away ; 
then  the  rifles  and  machine-guns  opened  fire.  The 
Germans  were  taken  by  surprise;  Jacques  could 


A  VOLUNTEER  127 

see  them  crouch  low  to  the  ground.  He  chuckled 
softly  to  himself  at  the  sight. 

They  did  not  hesitate  long,  however.  The  order 
was  passed  along  for  them  to  advance  and  on  they 
came.  They  began  to  sing,  "The  Watch  on  the 
Rhine,"  and  dashed  forward.  The  French  guns 
of  every  caliber  began  to  pour  a  perfect  deluge  of 
lead  and  steel  upon  the  solid  masses  of  the  at- 
tackers. 

*  *  Why  do  they  still  use  that  massed  formation  ? ' ' 
muttered  Jacques.  "You  might  think  they  had 
men  to  waste." 

Great  gaps  appeared  in  the  German  lines.  Al- 
ways they  were  closed  up  immediately,  however. 
Like  waves  the  Germans  came  on,  line  after  line. 
Should  a  man  fall,  there  was  someone  ready  to 
step  into  his  place  and  continue  the  advance.  The 
slaughter  was  horrible,  but  still  onward  they 
pushed.  It  seemed  as  if  they  must  succeed  by 
sheer  weight  of  numbers.  Could  they  possibly  be 
stopped? 

Nearer  and  nearer  they  came.  Jacques'  heart 
was  beating  like  a  trip  hammer.  It  seemed  to  him 
it  must  be  heard  even  above  the  roar  of  the  can- 
nonade. He  flashed  his  light  on  the  switchboard. 
"Not  yet,"  he  told  himself. 


128  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

They  were  a  hundred  yards  away  now,  but  the 
mine  field  was  only  a  hundred  feet  distant.  He 
must  wait.  It  was  hard  work,  however,  and  brave 
as  he  was,  the  young  soldier  had  all  he  could  do 
to  restrain  himself.  The  bullets  whined  and 
whistled  past  his  shelter;  the  big  shells  exploded 
with  a  deafening  noise  and  still  the  Germans  came 
on. 

They  seemed  to  falter  once.  The  punishment 
being  meted  out  to  them  by  the  French  guns  was 
cruel.  They  rallied  instantly,  however,  and  once 
more  pushed  forward.  They  were  almost  over 
the  spot  where  the  mines  were  buried  now  and 
Jacques  set  himself. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

IN   THE   CHATEAU 

JACQUES'  hand  shook  violently  as  he  took 
hold  of  the  switch.  He  peered  out  through 
the  narrow  slit  in  his  shelter  and  saw  the 
Germans  through  the  opening,  almost  as  if  he  was 
looking  behind  the  curtain  of  a  theater.  Was  now 
the  time  to  set  off  the  mine  field?  Not  quite  yet, 
he  decided.  Behind  him  he  knew  his  comrades 
were  expecting  him  to  do  his  work  right  and  he 
must  not  disappoint  them. 

It  was  a  great  responsibility  that  had  been 
placed  upon  the  shoulders  of  this  young  soldier. 
Jacques  realized  that  fact  and  was  determined  to 
be  true  to  his  trust.  Perhaps  the  safety  of  all  that 
portion  of  the  French  line  depended  upon  him 
alone. 

Nearer  came  the  Germans.  Losses,  appalling 
though  they  were,  did  not  seem  to  hold  them  in 
check.  They  were  almost  over  the  spot  now. 
Jacques  set  his  jaw  firmly  and  steeled  himself  to 

129 


130  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

do  his  duty.  It  was  for  France  he  told  himself. 
He  had  selected  with  his  eye  a  spot  which  he  had 
determined  to  be  one  hundred  feet  distant;  when 
the  Germans  reached  it  he  would  throw  the  switch. 

A  few  paces  more  and  they  would  be  over  the 
mine  field.  On  they  came.  The  first  rank  had 
now  reached  the  spot,  but  still  Jacques  waited. 
They  were  so  near  to  him  now  that  he  could  hear 
the  hoarse  shouts  of  the  oflBcers  urging  their  men 
forward.  The  second  line  stepped  upon  the 
ground  underneath  which  the  mines  were  laid. 
Jacques  threw  the  switch. 

An  infernal  fountain  seemed  to  shoot  up  in  the 
midst  of  the  mass  of  men  in  gray.  A  deafening 
explosion  shook  the  ground  and  the  air  was  filled 
with  a  great  whirl  of  smoke.  Men  and  parts  of 
men  flew  high  into  the  air  as  if  they  had  been  shot 
from  the  crater  of  some  huge  volcano. 

Spellbound  Jacques  gazed  upon  the  scene  of 
awful  destruction.  As  the  smoke  cleared  away  he 
saw  the  ground  littered  with  the  dead  and  dying. 
Those  that  still  remained  standing  seemed  be- 
wildered. In  vain  their  officers  tried  to  rally 
them ;  pleadings  and  threats  alike  were  of  no  avaiL 
Their  nerves  were  shattered  and  they  turned  and 
fled. 


IN  THE  CHATEAU  131 

The  attack  was  stopped.  Jacques  forgot  the 
slaughter  and  remembered  only  that  the  French 
positions  had  been  saved.  He  turned  and  began 
to  crawl  back  towards  his  own  lines.  He  had  gone 
only  a  short  distance,  however,  when  he  heard  a 
shout.  Glancing  up  he  spied  the  French  infantry 
climbing  out  of  their  trenches.  Evidently  they 
were  not  content  with  merely  having  stopped  the 
German  charge;  they  were  determined  to  follow 
up  their  advantage  with  a  gain  on  their  own 
account. 

With  a  wild  yell  they  dashed  forward.  Rifles 
in  hand  and  the  long  wicked-looking  bayonets 
gleaming  they  rushed  ahead.  The  Germans  were 
demoralized  and  now  was  the  time  to  strike.  One 
glance  told  Jacques  what  was  taking  place  and  he 
did  not  hesitate  an  instant  as  to  what  course  to 
pursue.  With  one  bound  he  joined  his  comrades 
and  a  moment  later  was  making  for  the  opposing 
trenches  as  fast  as  any  one  of  them. 

Across  the  shell-swept  field  they  raced.  The 
ground  was  covered  with  the  dead  and  dying,  but 
no  one  hesitated.  Great  holes  had  been  dug  out 
of  the  earth  by  the  giant  shells ;  consequently  the 
footing  was  dangerous  and  more  than  one  man 
came  to  grief  from  this  cause. 


132  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

The  German  reserves  and  artillery  were  busy 
now.  They  had  not  been  dispersed  and  in  spite 
of  the  tremendous  battering  by  the  French  guns 
a  furious  hail  of  bullets  was  poured  into  the  ad- 
vancing troops.  The  French  charge  was  irresisti- 
ble, however,  and  with  a  rush  it  swept  up  to  and 
into  the  German  first-line  trench. 

Here  a  furious  hand-to-hand  combat  took  place. 
Using  bayonets  or  the  butts  of  their  rifles  the  men 
stabbed  and  clubbed  at  one  another.  Like  demons 
the  French  fought;  they  were  there  to  win  and 
they  meant  to  win.  Their  dash  and  spirit  were 
simply  invincible. 

As  Jacques  sprang  over  the  parapet  a  huge 
German  advanced  upon  him  with  a  cry  of  rage. 
The  young  Frenchman  had  partly  fallen  when  he 
landed  in  the  trench  so  that  for  the  moment  his 
balance  was  nearly  destroyed.  Consequently  he 
was  at  a  disadvantage  and  seeing  his  enemy  mak- 
ing towards  him  he  realized  that  before  he  could 
do  anything  he  would  be  killed.  Already  the  Ger- 
man had  his  rifle  upraised  preparatory  to  bringing 
it  down  upon  the  head  of  the  young  soldier. 

It's  all  over,  thought  Jacques  and  he  half  closed 
his  eyes.  The  expected  blow  never  fell,  however. 
Before  the  German  could  bring  his  gun  down,  a 


IN  THE  CHATEAU  133 

Frenchman  standing  just  behind  him  suddenly 
pierced  him  through  and  through  with  his  bayonet. 
The  huge  German  sank  to  the  ground  without  a 
sound. 

"Armande!"  cried  Jacques,  suddenly  recogniz- 
ing his  rescuer.    "You  saved  my  life.'* 

**It  is  part  of  the  day's  work,"  said  Armande 
lightly,  for  it  was  indeed  the  daring  Frenchman 
who  had  aided  Jacques  so  opportunely. 

Every  German  in  the  trench  had  by  this  time 
either  been  killed  or  captured  and  already  the 
prisoners  were  being  led  back  to  the  French  lines. 

**The  next  trench  now,"  shouted  someone. 
**Why  stop  here?" 

A  cheer  greeted  this  remark  and  immediately 
the  soldiers  began  to  scramble  out  of  the  captured 
position.  The  second  line  of  German  trenches  ran 
through  a  little  wood  on  one  border  of  which 
appeared  the  tower  of  a  chateau  which  had  so  far 
escaped  destruction  in  some  miraculous  way. 

** Let's  make  for  that,"  shouted  Armande  in 
Jacques'  ear.  "If  we  can  reach  that  chateau  we 
can  defend  ourselves  indefinitely.'* 

"Get  some  more  men  and  we'll  go,"  answered 
Jacques. 

"This  way!    This  way!"  cried  Armande,  and 


134  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

immediately  a  dozen  or  fifteen  men  turned  aside 
and  followed  his  lead. 

At  top  speed  the  little  company  dashed  forward. 
The  German  rifles  and  machine-guns  raked  them 
with  a  galling  fire,  but  still  they  kept  on.  Four 
of  their  number  fell,  but  undaunted  the  others  still 
continued  the  mad  race.  Closer  and  closer  to  the 
half -ruined  chateau  they  came. 

*' They 're  firing  from  the  tower,"  shouted 
Jacques.    **The  place  is  occupied." 

' '  What  of  it  ? "  demanded  Armande.  *  *  So  much 
the  better." 

An  ocasional  flash  from  the  narrow  windows  of 
the  tower  told  that  the  Germans  were  using  the 
place  for  defense.  How  many  of  them  might  be 
in  there  at  present  no  one  could  tell.  Not  one  of 
the  attackers  faltered  on  this  account,  however. 
Apparently  they  did  not  care  whether  four  or 
forty  men  might  be  waiting  for  them. 

Straight  up  to  the  front  door  Armande  dashed. 
It  was  open  and  he  rushed  inside.  Close  at  his 
heels  followed  the  rest  of  the  daring  little  com- 
pany. A  fusillade  of  bullets  sang  about  their  ears 
but  no  one  was  touched. 

Up  the  winding  stairs  ahead  of  them  three  Ger- 
man soldiers  could  be  seen  fleeing.     Their  escape 


IN  THE  CHATEAU  135 

cut  off  below  they  had  made  for  the  only  safe 
place  left,  the  tower  of  the  chateau.  Armande 
was  for  following  right  after  them,  but  Jacques 
restrained  him. 

"Wait,"  he  cautioned.  **  They 're  above  you 
and  have  us  at  a  disadvantage. ' ' 

**But  they  may  escape  us,"  protested  Armande. 

"How  can  they?  They  can't  leave  that  tower 
by  any  other  means  than  these  stairs.  They  can't 
possibly  escape." 

"We  must  drive  them  out  of  there,"  insisted 
Armande. 

"We  will,"  exclaimed  Jacques.  "We  want  to 
plan  the  best  way  to  do  it  though." 

"You  stand  guard  at  the  door,"  Armande  di- 
rected one  of  the  men.  "Let  us  know  if  you  see 
any  sign  of  a  German  out  there." 

The  soldier  took  his  place  and  Armande  ad- 
vanced cautiously  towards  the  foot  of  the  stair- 
way. The  men  were  huddled  together  on  the 
ground  floor,  irresolute  as  to  what  course  they 
should  now  pursue. 

Suddenly  a  hand-grenade  came  flying  down  the 
stairs,  bumped  along  on  the  last  two  steps  and 
then  came  to  rest  in  the  center  of  the  little  group 
gathered  there.    It  was  plain  to  be  seen  that  it 


136  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

was  about  to  explode  and  that  if  it  did  so,  prac- 
tically the  entire  band  would  be  killed. 

Quick  as  a  flash  one  of  the  men  threw  himself 
down  upon  the  deadly  bomb.  Hardly  had  he  done 
so  when  it  exploded.  There  was  an  ear-splitting 
roar  and  the  soldier,  Fische  by  name,  was  literally 
blown  to  pieces.    No  one  else  was  harmed. 

**He  saved  our  lives,"  exclaimed  Jacques  feel- 
ingly.   **Who  was  that?" 

** Fische,"  replied  one  of  the  men. 

**Well,  we'd  all  be  dead  now  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  his  nerve  and  quick  action.  What  a  brave  man 
he  was!" 

"That  mustn't  happen  again,"  exclaimed  Ar- 
mande.  **We  must  clean  those  rats  out  of  the 
tower  before  it  will  be  safe  for  us  here. ' ' 

**How  are  you  going  to  do  it?"  inquired 
Jacques. 

*  *  Go  up  after  them  of  course.  Who  will  go  with 
me?'-' 

**I  will,  I  will,"  cried  a  half-dozen  voices 
eagerly. 

**Come  along  then,"  exclaimed  Armande,  and 
advancing  to  the  stairway  he  placed  one  foot  on 
the  bottom  step  and  glanced  up. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  FIGHT  FOB  THE  TOWEB 

AS  Armande's  foot  touched  the  stairs,  a 
bullet  from  above  struck  his  steel  hel- 
met a  glancing  blow.  The  helmet  was 
knocked  from  his  head  and  he  staggered  back 
against  the  wall.  Jacques  sprang  to  his  side  at 
once. 

*'I'm  all  right,"  exclaimed  Armande  quickly. 

**Are  you  hurt?"  demanded  Jacques. 

"Not  at  all ;  it  merely  stunned  me  for  a  second," 
and  Armande  rubbed  his  head  dazedly.  **I'll  be 
aU  right  directly." 

**You  musn't  try  to  go  up  those  stairs  again," 
exclaimed  Jacques,  as  he  spoke  handing  Armande 
back  his  helmet,  which  he  had  picked  up  from  the 
floor. 

"But  we  must  get  them  out  of  that  tower,"  in- 
sisted Armande. 

"I  know,"  agreed  Jacques,  "but  we'll  have  to 

find  some  other  way  to  do  it. '  * 

"But  how?" 

137 


138  FIGHTING  IN  FKANCE 

**I  think  I  know  how,*'  said  one  of  the  men 
stepping  forward. 

''What  is  your  scheme,  Lippen?"  asked  Jacques 
eagerly. 

"If  we  only  had  a  machine-gun  we  could  soon 
bring  them  down.'* 

**But  how  could  we  carry  a  machine-gun  up 
those  stairs?"  demanded  Jacques.  "They'd 
shoot  us  down  at  their  leisure." 

"We  won't  take  it  upstairs,"  said  Lippen 
quietly. 

"What  is  your  plan?" 

*  *  Send  two  men  for  a  machine-gun.  When  they 
have  brought  it  back  we  will  set  it  up  here  and 
point  it  at  the  ceiling.  When  we  have  sent  a  few 
thousand  bullets  through  the  floor  the  Boches  will 
come  down  fast  enough." 

"Why  will  they?"  demanded  Jacques.  "I 
don't  see  just  what  you  mean." 

"They'll  come  down  because  they  won't  be  able 
to  help  it,"  said  Lippen  grimly.  "We'll  blow  a 
hole  through  the  floor  and  they'll  fall  down." 

"I  believe  you're  right,"  exclaimed  Jacques 
suddenly.    "Who  will  go  after  a  machine-gun?" 

Several  men  immediately  offered  their  services 
and  two  were  quickly  dispatched  on  the  quest.    It 


THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  TOWER      139 

was  a  dangerous  mission,  as  the  Germans  from 
their  position  in  the  tower  could  shoot  from  the 
windows  and  have  anyone  below  almost  at  their 
mercy.  In  order  to  divert  their  attention  from 
the  two  messengers  the  men  in  the  chateau  started 
a  lively  demonstration.  A  half-dozen  hand- 
grenades  were  hurled  up  the  stairs  by  the  daring 
soldiers  and  a  fusillade  of  rifle  and  pistol  shots 
was  directed  towards  the  same  spot. 

Under  cover  of  this  bombardment  the  mes- 
sengers slipped  out  of  the  chateau  and  in  safety 
gained  the  shelter  of  the  woods.  The  French  at- 
tack had  now  carried  the  second  line  of  German 
trenches  so  that  the  chateau  was  in  territory  held 
by  them.  The  Germans,  trapped  in  the  tower, 
were  cut  off  from  their  troops. 

**They  got  away  safely,"  Jacques,  who  had  been 
watching  the  two  messengers,  reported  to  Ar- 
mande. 

''Good,'*  exclaimed  Armande.  ''I  hope  the 
scheme  will  work." 

**What  else  could  we  do?" 

**I  should  like  to  rush  the  stairs,"  'said  Ar- 
mande.   *'We  can  do  it." 

**You  saw  what  happened  to  you  a  moment  ago 
when    you    tried    it,"    Jacques    reminded    him. 


140  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

** Probably  we  could  do  it  but  what's  the  use  in 
getting  a  lot  of  men  killed  when  we  can  accom- 
plish the  same  result  in  some  other  way?" 

*  *  Probably  you  're  right, ' '  Armande  agreed.  *  *  I 
hate  to  wait  though." 

The  men  had  now  withdrawn  to  an  alcove  off 
the  main  hall.  This  new  position  afforded  them 
control  of  the  stairway  without  exposing  them  to 
the  fire  of  their  enemies.  The  piano  was  dragged 
over  to  their  place  of  refuge  and  a  barricade  built 
in  front  of  it  in  case  the  Germans  should  try  to 
rush  them. 

*  *  How  many  of  the  Boches  do  you  think  are  up 
there?"  asked  Armande. 

*  *  No  matter, ' '  laughed  Lippen.  *  *  They  '11  all  be 
down  pretty  soon  and  then  we  can  count  them. ' ' 

At  this  moment  the  guard  who  had  been  set  to 
watch  for  the  return  of  the  two  men  with  the 
machine-gun  signalled  that  they  were  in  sight. 

''Good,"  exclaimed  Jacques.  *'Now  let's  let 
them  have  a  few  more  grenades  upstairs  there 
just  to  show  them  that  we're  still  alive." 

This  plan  was  carried  out  and  a  series  of  violent 
explosions  from  the  room  above  showed  that  the 
grenades  were  effective.  At  the  same  time  the 
sentry  signalled  the  two  messengers  to  advance. 


THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  TOWER      141 

One  of  them  carried  the  tripod  of  the  gun  and  the 
other  the  barrel.  At  top  speed  they  set  out  from 
the  shelter  of  the  trees  and  started  across  the  open 
space  leading  up  to  the  entrance  of  the  chateau. 

They  crouched  low  to  the  ground  as  they  ran, 
endeavoring  to  present  as  small  a  mark  as  pos- 
sible. Little  spurts  of  dust  all  around  them 
showed  that  the  Germans  were  firing  at  them  from 
above.  The  demonstration  by  the  French  inside 
the  chateau  was  increased  in  intensity  and  one 
reckless  man  even  ran  halfway  up  the  stairs  to  the 
landing  before  he  threw  his  hand-grenade.  Hav- 
ing hurled  it,  he  sped  down  again,  slipping,  sliding 
and  falling.    However  he  was  unhurt. 

In  spite  of  all  these  efforts  the  fire  directed  at 
the  two  messengers  did  not  cease.  So  far,  how- 
ever, they  were  untouched  and  were  only  fifty  or 
Bixt>^  feet  distant  from  their  goal.  Suddenly  the 
man  carrying  the  barrel  staggered.  He  reeled 
drunkenly  for  a  moment  and  then  sank  to  the 
ground.  His  companion,  who  was  in  the  lead,  was 
not  aware  of  this  and  it  was  not  until  he  had 
gained  the  protection  of  the  chateau  that  he  real- 
ized that  his  comrade  was  missing. 

Of  course  the  machine-gun  was  useless  with  one 
part  gone.     Someone  would  have  to  retrieve  the 


142  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

other  half  and  Annande  instantly  took  it  upon 
himself  to  be  that  one.  Without  waiting  to  see 
whether  anyone  else  was  going  he  dashed  out  of 
the  doorway  and  raced  towards  the  spot  where 
the  lost  barrel  lay.  His  appearance  was  greeted 
with  a  storm  of  bullets  from  the  tower. 

Untouched,  however,  he  reached  his  goal.  The 
barrel  was  lying  on  the  ground  beside  the  pros- 
trate form  of  the  soldier  who  had  carried  it  that 
far;  the  soldier  was  dead,  however,  with  a  bullet 
through  his  heart. 

Armande  bent  over  and  seizing  the  missing  part 
of  the  gun  he  turned  and  ran  for  the  chateau.  All 
about  him  the  bullets  whined  and  sang ;  it  seemed 
impossible  that  he  should  ever  cover  those  few 
yards  alive.  The  evening  before,  however,  he  had 
remarked  to  Jacques  that  having  seen  the  new 
moon  over  his  right  shoulder  he  would  be  lucky. 
Whether  or  not  that  was  the  reason  the  fact  re- 
mains that  he  gained  the  doorway  and  handed  the 
barrel  over  to  Jacques.  His  uniform  had  been 
torn  on  one  shoulder  and  blood  was  oozing  from 
the  wound,  which  although  deep,  was  not  seri- 
ous. 

"Your  life  is  charmed,  Armande,"  exclaimed 
Lippen  in  admiration. 


THE  FIGHT  FOR  THE  TOWER      143 

**I  hope  so,"  said  Armande  grimly.  **Set  up 
the  gun." 

No  time  was  lost  in  this  operation  and  in  less 
than  two  minutes  the  machine-gun  was  ready  for 
action.  The  man  who  had  carried  the  tripod  had 
also  brought  the  necessary  ammunition. 

''Train  it  on  one  spot,"  Lippen  directed.  "As 
soon  as  we  get  a  hole  through  the  floor  we  '11  send 
a  few  hand-grenades  through  it." 

Careful  aim  was  taken  and  a  moment  later  the 
gun  was  spitting  an  almost  continuous  stream  of 
bullets  into  a  space  about  a  yard  square  on  the 
ceiling.  The  plaster  began  to  fly  and  some  cande- 
labra came  to  the  floor  with  a  crash.  The  noise 
of  the  machine-gun  was  almost  ear-splitting  inside 
the  chateau  but  the  men  were  all  delighted  at  the 
promise  of  early  results. 

Jacques  fed  the  long  strips  of  bullets  to  the 
hungry  gun,  while  all  except  his  helper  stood 
around  in  different  parts  of  the  room,  their  rifles 
held  ready  for  instant  use.  All  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  the  spot  on  the  ceiling. 

Suddenly  a  ray  of  light  shone  through  from 
above.  The  air  was  filled  with  smoke  and  dust 
from  the  crumbling  plaster. 

*  *  Keep  it  up ! "  shouted  Armande. 


144  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

The  bullets  were  spraying  all  around  the  edge 
of  the  hole  which  grew  rapidly  larger.  Several  of 
the  men  opened  fire  with  their  rifles.  The  ma- 
chine-gun then  ceased  firing. 

*'You  can  see  where  the  beams  run  now,"  said 
Jacques  to  the  gunner.  '*  Loosen  them  up  a 
little." 

Once  more  the  withering  fire  was  continued  and 
soon  a  yawning  hole  appeared  above  the  heads  of 
the  Frenchmen.  A  table  came  crashing  through; 
a  chair  followed  close  behind  and  a  huge  lamp  next 
spun  through  the  air  and  smashed  into  a  thousand 
pieces  on  the  floor  below. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  the  Ger- 
mans in  the  tower  were  idle  all  this  time.  Bullets 
went  through  the  opening  in  both  directions  and 
already  two  of  the  Frenchmen  had  been  killed ;  two 
more  were  wounded.    The  fight  was  desperate. 

All  at  once  a  hand-grenade,  dropped  from 
above,  landed  squarely  in  front  of  the  spot  where 
Jacques  was  stationed.  It  was  not  four  feet  dis- 
tant from  the  young  Frenchman.  Almost  without 
thinking  he  acted.  Springing  forward  he  seized 
the  deadly  missile  and  hurled  it  at  the  ever-spread- 
ing opening  in  the  ceiling.  He  had  not  been  a 
second  too  soon.  Just  as  the  grenade  was  passing 
throuffh  the  hole  it  exploded. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  DUG-OUT 

JACQUES  immediately  sprang  back  to  his 
former  position  in  the  alcove  beside  the 
machine-gun.  Lucky  it  was  for  him  that 
he  did  so.  The  hand-grenade  exploded  and  the 
ceiling  which  already  was  greatly  weakened 
speedily  collapsed. 

Plaster,  furniture,  rafters  and  men  poured 
down  in  a  mass.  The  force  of  the  explosion  had 
literally  torn  the  ceiling  to  pieces  and,  the  sup- 
ports gone,  it  collapsed  at  once. 

"Anyone  left  up  there?"  shouted  Armande. 

*  *  Not  a  soul, ' '  replied  Jacques  quickly.  ' '  Watch 
out  below  though." 

Many  of  the  Germans  were  buried  deep  under 
the  mass  of  debris  on  the  floor.  Here  and  there 
an  arm  appeared  and  the  French  were  busily  en- 
gaged in  extricating  their  enemies  from  the  heap 
Seven  men  were  taken  out  alive,  suffering  only 
from  bruises;  four  more  were  captured  badly 
wounded  and  six  were  found  dead. 

145 


146  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

''Well  I  guess  the  fight's  over,"  sighed  Ar- 
mande  when  the  Germans  had  been  deprived  of 
their  weapons  and  the  pile  had  been  thoroughly 
searched  for  any  more  bodies. 

''Seems  to  be,"  agreed  Jacques.  "How  about 
these  men?"  he  asked,  as  he  spoke,  indicating  the 
prisoners  that  had  been  taken. 

"We'll  take  them  back  to  our  trenches  of 
course,"  said  Armande. 

A  few  moments  later  the  little  band  had  left  the 
ruined  chateau  and  were  on  their  way  back 
to  their  lines.  The  struggle  was  still  contin- 
uing violently  and  both  sides  were  fighting  des- 
perately for  possession  of  the  disputed  posi- 
tions. 

Arriving  in  the  trenches  Armande,  Jacques, 
Lippen  and  the  others  soon  found  their  regiment 
and  having  turned  over  their  prisoners  were 
quickly  in  the  fighting  again.  Leon,  Earl  and  Du- 
bois were  posted  side  by  side  and  Armande  and 
Jacques  joined  them  at  once. 

"We  thought  you  were  dead,  Jacques,"  cried 
Leon,  delighted  to  see  his  comrade  once  more. 
"Where  did  you  come  from?" 

The  story  was  quickly  told  and  just  as  it  was 
completed  the  officer  who  had  directed  Jacques  to 


THE  DUG-OUT  147 

set  off  the  mine-field  approached  the  place  in 
which  the  boys  were  standing. 

** Young  man!"  he  exclaimed  heartily,  catching 
sight  of  Jacques,  "you  did  splendid  work.  You 
saved  our  lines  and  made  possible  this  counter- 
attack. You  disappeared  though  and  I  feared  you 
had  been  lost." 

'*I  saw  our  men  coming  forward  and  I  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  to  join  them,  sir,"  said 
Jacques  modestly. 

**Well,  I'm  glad  to  see  you  again,"  said  the 
oflScer.    "We  need  men  like  you." 

"They're  all  as  good  if  not  better,"  exclaimed 
Jacques  earnestly. 

*  *  That 's  right  too, ' '  agreed  the  officer.  *  *  Every 
Frenchman  is  a  hero  in  these  days  of  trouble." 

He  passed  on  and  Jacques  turned  again  to  his 
comrades. 

"Tell  me,"  he  exclaimed,  "what  has  happened 
here?" 

"Everything,"  said  Earl  grimly.  "They  cer- 
tainly did  pepper  us  and  it  was  only  a  few  minutes 
before  you  came  back  that  they  let  up  at  all." 

"They're  still  fairly  busy  I  should  say,'*  re- 
marked Jacques. 

The  shells  were  bursting  all  around  in  endless 


148  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

succession  but  fortunately  the  fire  of  the  German 
batteries  was  directed  mostly  upon  the  positions 
to  the  right  and  left  of  those  occupied  by  the 
douzieme. 

** They '11  hit  us  before  long,'*  remarked  Dubois. 

**What  do  you  mean?'*  asked  Earl.  *'A 
counter-attack?" 

**I  think  so.  They  may  not  try  it  to-day  but 
they  surely  will  some  time  to-night;  the  Boches 
are  getting  so  they  like  to  fight  in  the  dark  now. ' ' 

"Perhaps  it's  because  they  can't  see  the  bayo- 
nets so  well,"  laughed  Armande.  ''They  don't 
care  much  about  cold  steel,  do  they?" 

**I  should  say  not,"  agreed  Dubois.  ''It's 
funny  too  for  they  are  certainly  brave  enough 
when  it  comes  to  facing  shells  and  machine-guns. ' ' 

"Hand-to-hand  work  isn't  suited  to  Germans,  I 
guess,"  said  Leon.  "You  never  heard  of  a  Ger- 
man being  a  good  boxer  either ;  they  don't  seem  to 
be  much  good  at  things  that  need  quick  thinking 
and  action." 

"Germans  are  good  athletes  though,"  ex- 
claimed Earl. 

"In  certain  sports  they  are,"  Leon  agreed. 
"They're  good  wrestlers  and  gymnasts  and  that 
sort  of  thing.    I   say  that  they're   strong  but 


THE  DUG-OUT  149 

they're  not  athletic.  The  strongest  fellows  aren't 
always  the  best  athletes,  you  know." 

Meanwhile  the  guns  boomed  constantly.  The 
shells  from  the  French  guns  were  exploding  far 
in  advance  of  the  positions  the  douzieme  now 
occupied. 

''They're  probably  shelling  the  ground  where 
the  Germans  are  trying  to  dig  new  trenches,"  said 
Dubois. 

"I  hope  they  hit  'em,"  exclaimed  Leon  fer- 
vently. 

There  were  many  dug-outs  along  the  line  of  the 
trench.  Some  of  them  were  shell-proof  and  were 
fifteen  to  twenty  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground ;  the  entrance  to  these  was  through  a  door, 
level  with  the  floor  of  the  trench.  A  stairway, 
just  wide  enough  to  permit  one  man  to  pass,  led 
down  to  them.  The  roofs  were  reinforced  with 
huge  timbers  and  so  strongly  were  they  con- 
structed that  most  of  them  were  intact,  despite  the 
heavy  bombardment  to  which  they  had  been  sub- 
jected. 

"Have  you  seen  these  dug-outs?"  Leon  in- 
quired of  Jacques. 

"No,  I  haven't." 

"Come  along  then  and  I'll  show  them  to  you," 


150  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

exclaimed  Leon.  "Some  of  them  are  regular 
palaces. ' ' 

**I  doubt  that,"  laughed  Jacques  as  the  two  boys 
set  out  together. 

They  inspected  a  dug-out  similar  to  the  one  de- 
scribed above.  Then  they  discovered  others, 
larger  but  only  slightly  lower  than  the  trenches. 

"Look  at  them,"  exclaimed  Leon.  "They  must 
have  used  these  for  living  quarters  when  things 
were  quiet." 

"I  guess  they  did,"  agreed  Jacques.  "If 
they're  all  like  this  they're  pretty  good  size  too; 
this  one  must  be  six  feet  wide  and  nearly  thirty 
feet  long." 

"See  those  logs  on  the  ceiling;  they're  a  foot  in 
diameter  at  least. ' ' 

"Yes,  but  they're  not  shell-proof.  They  have 
to  be  deeper  in  the  ground  than  this  to  be  safe 
from  high  explosive  shells." 

The  two  young  soldiers  continued  along  the 
trench.  Many  of  the  dug-outs,  similar  to  that 
they  had  just  left,  were  in  ruins.  Jacques  was 
correct  when  he  said  they  were  not  proof  against 
the  big  shells.  Most  of  them  were  destroyed,  the 
logs  splintered  to  kindling-wood  and  strewn  far 
and  wide  over  the  ground. 


THE  DUG-OUT  151 

** Where  does  this  lead,  do  you  suppose?*'  de- 
manded Leon  suddenly. 

** Let's  follow  it  and  see,"  exclaimed  Jacques 
readily. 

A  blind  alley  ran  off  from  the  main  trench  and 
it  was  this  that  the  two  boys  were  following. 
There  was  a  narrow  doorway  at  the  end  of  the 
alley  and  through  this  they  advanced. 

** Another  dug-out,  I  suppose,"  said  Jacques. 

** Looks  like  a  real  one,"  exclaimed  Leon. 
**Whew!"  he  whistled  in  amazement  as  he  de- 
scended the  stairs  and  stepped  out  into  the  under- 
ground room. 

"Say,"  said  Jacques  warmly,  **some  general 
must  have  lived  here." 

*  *  I  should  think  as  much, '  *  agreed  Leon.  * '  Just 
look  around  you;  rugs  on  the  floor,  pictures  and 
mirrors  on  the  wall. ' ' 

*'And  a  wonderful  stove;  let's  make  some  tea," 
cried  Jacques  eagerly. 

"Where's  the  tea?" 

"There  must  be  some  here;  there  seems  to  be 
everything  else." 

A  short  search  soon  produced  tea  and  crackers ; 
a  fire  was  started  in  the  stove  and  water  was  put 
on  to  boil.    Tea  was  always  in  demand  by  the  sol- 


152  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

diers;  it  was  their  favorite  beverage  in  the 
trenches. 

''Isn't  this  great?"  exclaimed  Leon.  **War 
wouldn't  be  so  bad  if  we  only  had  places  like  this 
to  live  in." 

**Did  you  notice  that  there  were  two  en- 
trances?" asked  Jacques. 

"Yes,  one  at  each  end.  I  suppose  that's  in  case 
the  trench  should  cave  in  and  block  up  one 
passage-way  you  could  still  get  out  the  other 
side.** 

**Pull  up  a  chair,  Leon,"  exclaimed  Jacques. 
**We  might  as  well  be  comfortable  as  long  as  we 
can." 

The  two  soldiers  sat  by  the  fire  and  sipped  their 
tea  and  chatted.  Now  and  again  a  dull  roar  told 
them  that  the  Germans  were  still  busy  and  that 
they  still  had  their  opponents,  the  French,  in 
mind. 

"Do  you  suppose  we  could  be  hurt  down  here!" 
remarked  Leon. 

"If  one  of  those  big  German  shells  happened 
to  strike  squarely  over  us  I  guess  we'd  be  hurt  all 
right,"  said  Jacques. 

"It  would  have  to  be  a  direct  hit  though." 

"That's  true  and  I  don't  believe  there  is  much 


THE  DUG-OUT  153 

chance  of  its  happening.  This  seems  to  me 
about  the  safest  spot  I've  seen." 

*'Too  bad  the  others  don't  know  about  it,"  said 
Leon. 

**  Listen,"  warned  Jacques.  **Here  comes 
somebody  now." 

A  moment  later  six  soldiers  filed  into  the  dug- 
out. They  were  men  from  the  doMzieme,  but  be- 
longed to  a  different  company  from  that  of  which 
Leon  and  Jacques  were  members. 

*'Come  in,"  cried  Jacques  cordially.  **Have 
some  tea." 

No  second  invitation  was  needed  and  the  eight 
soldiers  were  soon  grouped  around  the  fire,  sip- 
ping canteens  of  hot  tea.  Everyone  was  as  en- 
thusiastic as  Leon  and  Jacques  had  been  and  life 
seemed  worth  while  once  more.  The  time  was 
short,  however ;  it  soon  became  necessary  for  our 
two  young  friends  to  leave  and  go  back  to  their 
post. 

They  said  good-by  to  their  comrades  and  made 
their  way  outside.  Coming  to  the  little  alley  that 
led  to  the  dug-out  they  stopped  and  listened  to  the 
artillery  duel. 

*  *  The  Germans  are  tuning  up  again, ' '  remarked 
Jacques. 


154  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

* '  They  certainly  are, ' '  agreed  Leon.  * '  Did  you 
ever  notice  how  you  can  tell  from  the  sound  a  shell 
makes  going  through  the  air  just  what  kind  it  isT* 

**Yes,  and  you  can  judge  their  direction  and 
where  they're  going  to  fall  too." 

Suddenly  Jacques  grasped  Leon  fiercely  by  the 
arm.  ''Look  out,"  he  cried  in  terror,  and  threw 
himself  and  his  companion  prone  upon  the  floor 
of  the  trench. 

He  had  heard  a  sound  which  he  knew  meant  dan- 
ger and  possibly  death;  the  awful  whistling  roar 
of  a  high  explosive. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

UPPEN   BREAKS 

A  TERRIFIC  explosion  shook  the  earth. 
Dirt  was  mixed  with  logs  and  stones 
and  showered  everything  nearby.  The 
deadly  lyddite  blackened  the  faces  of  the  two 
young  soldiers  and  half  blinded  them.  For  some 
moments  they  were  too  stunned  to  move. 

Finally  they  recovered  somewhat  from  the 
shock  and  rose  to  their  feet. 

**Look  at  that  dug-out,  Jacques,"  exclaimed 
Leon.    "It's  blown  to  pieces." 

**How  about  the  men  inside?"  cried  Jacques. 
** There  are  six  of  them." 

As  he  finished  speaking  one  of  the  trapped  sol- 
diers crawled  out.  He  pulled  himself  along  with 
one  arm,  for  the  other  was  terribly  shattered ;  one 
of  his  legs  hung  only  by  a  tendon  and  a  few  shreds 
of  flesh. 

"Quick,  Leon!"  cried  Jacques.  "Cut  the  cord 
from  your  bandolier;  you  tie  up  his  arm  and  I'll 

155 


156  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

attend  to  his  leg.  We  must  stop  this  flow  of  blood 
or  he  11  die. ' ' 

The  wounded  soldier  was  a  fine,  healthy  boy; 
a  few  minutes  before  he  had  been  telling  what  he 
planned  to  do  when  he  went  home  on  a  furlough. 
Now  his  face  was  white  with  agony ;  his  voice  grew 
weaker  and  weaker  and  he  died  while  Jacques  and 
Leon  were  working  over  him. 

"This  is  awful,"  cried  Leon  fiercely. 

**This  is  war,"  said  Jacques. 

High  explosive  shells  were  now  bursting  all 
along  the  line;  tons  of  earth  were  thrown  high 
into  the  air  and  the  very  ground  rocked  beneath 
their  feet.  Men  hurried  from  one  spot  to  another 
trying  to  find  protection  where  there  was  none; 
oftentimes  masses  of  earth  were  blown  in  on  top 
of  them. 

"Picks  and  shovels!"  came  the  cry,  and 
"Stretcher  bearers!  Stretcher  bearers!"  re- 
sounded on  all  sides. 

* '  The  rest  of  those  men  in  the  dug-out  are  dead, 
Leon, ' '  said  Jacques  calmly.  *  *  We  can  do  nothing 
for  them  and  the  thing  for  us  to  do  is  to  rejoin 
our  company." 

"Think  of  it,"  exclaimed  Leon  as  they  hurried 


LIPPEN  BREAKS  157 

along.  **If  we'd  stayed  in  that  dug-out  two  min- 
utes longer  we  'd  been  dead  now. ' ' 

"Death  comes  quickly  in  war,"  remarked 
Jacques.  **It  hangs  by  a  thread  and  you  never 
can  tell  when  it  is  going  to  strike  you. ' ' 

They  soon  reached  the  spot  where  their  com- 
pany was  located  and  along  with  the  rest  of  those 
who  were  off  duty  were  immediately  ordered  into 
the  deepest  of  the  shell-proof  dug-outs,  where  they 
were  really  quite  safe. 

"We're  in  for  it,  I  guess,"  remarked  Dubois 
laconically,  as  Jacques  and  Leon  entered  the  dug- 
out.   Earl  and  Armande  were  also  there. 

"Sure  we  are,"  exclaimed  the  latter  brightly. 
"What  of  it!" 

"There'll  be  a  lot  of  our  men  killed." 

"Not  half  as  many  as  there  will  be  Boches," 
said  Armande.  "Just  wait  until  they  send  their 
infantry  out;  our  machine-guns  will  make  them 
wish  they  were  back  in  their  trenches." 

"You're  an  optimist,  Armande,"  said  Earl. 
"Just  listen  to  those  shells  up  there." 

"The  Boches  will  come  out  about  dark,"  said 
Armande.  "We  might  just  as  well  sleep  imtil 
then." 


158  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**Not  with  that  going  on,"  exclaimed  Leon. 
**At  least  not  for  me." 

An  hour  later  they  were  all  ordered  out.  Every- 
man had  on  a  mask  to  guard  against  the  poisonous 
gas  that  the  Germans  used  so  frequently  just  be- 
fore they  launched  their  attacks.  Oftentimes  too 
they  would  shower  the  opposing  trenches  with 
shells,  causing  irritation  and  smarting  of  the  eyes 
so  that  the  men  could  not  see  to  shoot.  Now  and 
again  they  used  liquid  fire  which  shot  out  half  a 
hundred  feet  from  especially  made  machines  some- 
what resembling  the  nozzle  of  a  hose. 

The  surprising  thing  is  that  the  French  could 
withstand  all  those  terrible  engines  of  destruction. 
Sheer  courage  had  helped  them  the  first  time  they 
were  used  and  after  that  they  were  always  pro- 
vided with  some  good  means  of  defense.  The 
French  are  remarkably  quick  to  learn. 

It  was  dark  as  th'e  men  came  up  out  of  the  dug- 
out. They  had  scaKcely  taken  their  places  when 
there  was  a  sudden  hurricane  of  rifle  and  machine- 
gun  fire.  Almost  instantly  the  whole  battered 
landscape  became  lighted  up  under  the  flare  of 
innumerable  trench-rockets.  Far  ahead,  the 
enemy,  in  irregular  lines,  could  be  seen  advancing 
to  the  attack. 


LIPPEN  BREAKS  159 

"Here  they  come,"  cried  Armande.  **Let  'em 
have  it!" 

A  pitiless  infantry  fire  was  turned  upon  the 
Germans.  An  almost  solid  sheet  of  flame  issuing 
from  the  French  rifles  marked  the  curve  of  their 
trenches.  Almost  at  once  the  French  artillery 
caught  the  range  of  the  advancing  troops ;  the  air 
was  filled  with  the  roar  of  the  bursting  shells  and 
the  sad-sounding  whing-g-g  of  flying  shrapnel. 

**No  one  can  possibly  come  across  that  space 
alive,"  cried  Leon  incredulously. 

* '  Yes,  they  can  too, ' '  exclaimed  Armande  and  a 
moment  later  the  sharp  staccato  of  a  hand-grenade 
bursting  nearby  warned  them  that  some  of  the 
enemy  at  least  were  already  within  striking  dis- 
tance. 

The  men  worked  feverishly.  Rifles  became  hot 
they  were  fired  so  fast  and  so  constantly.  Hand- 
grenades  were  popping  all  around  now  and  the 
noise  became  deafening.  Like  gray  ghosts  the 
Germans  appeared  under  the  flare  of  the  guns  and 
the  weird  light  of  the  trench-rockets. 

The  French  machine-guns  mowed  the  Germans 
down  like  grass  and  the  fact  that  they  still  came 
on  was  a  high  tribute  to  their  bravery.  Gradually 
the    firing   died   down   and   the   noise   lessened. 


160  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

Broken  and  beaten  back  the  Germans  turned  and 
fled.  A  cheer  went  np  from  the  French  line,  while 
a  farewell  volley  was  poured  into  the  mass  of  re- 
treating Germans. 

"What  did  I  tell  you?"  demanded  Armande  tri- 
umphantly. ''I  knew  they  couldn't  touch  us  and 
I'd  just  like  to  see  them  try  it  again.'* 

"It  cost  us  something,"  said  Earl. 

"Yes,  but  not  one-quarter  of  what  it  did  them." 

"I  hope  not,"  agreed  Earl.  "It  always  costs 
the  attacker  more." 

The  strain  of  the  fight  let  down  and  a  reaction 
set  in.  The  ground  was  strewn  with  the  dead  and 
dying  and  the  moans  of  the  wounded  were  any- 
thing but  pleasant  to  hear.  During  the  fight  every 
man  nerves  himself  to  face  whatever  comes ;  after- 
wards there  is  sometimes  a  complete  swing  to  the 
other  extreme. 

Arms  and  legs  stuck  out  from  heaps  of  earth. 
Dead  men  lay  all  around;  blood  was  on  every- 
thing. Nauseating  odors  filled  the  air.  Suddenly 
from  a  spot  directly  behind  Earl  came  a  sound 
that  made  his  blood  run  cold. 

Lippen,  the  soldier  who  had  fought  so  valiantly 
in  the  chateau,  suddenly  sprang  to  his  feet.  He 
uttered  a  wild,  hideous,  hysterical  laugh  and  seiz- 


LIPPEN  BREAKS  161 

ing  an  arm  that  protruded  from  the  trench  in 
front  of  him  he  hurled  it  far  out  over  the  battle- 
field. 

He  shrieked  raucously  and  then  suddenly  sat 
down  and  began  to  sob.  His  companions  gazed 
at  him  a  moment  in  surprise  and  then  in  pity. 

"What  is  it,  Jacques?'*  demanded  Earl. 
**What  ails  him?'' 

"He's  crazy,"  said  Jacques  quietly. 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"He's  gone  insane;  his  nerves  are  shattered." 

Lippen  sat  and  sobbed ;  now  and  again  he  raised 
his  head  and  gazed  about  him  and  the  look  in  his 
eyes  showed  that  all  his  reason  had  departed. 

"How  awful!"  exclaimed  Earl  with  a  shudder. 
"Do  you  suppose  he'll  ever  get  well  again?" 

"It's  hard  to  say,"  replied  Jacques.  "Some- 
times they  do  and  sometimes  they  don't." 

"I've  heard  about  these  things  happening  in  the 
trenches, ' '  remarked  Leon.  *  *  This  is  the  first  case 
I've  seen." 

"There  are  a  good  many  made  the  same  way," 
said  Jacques  soberly.  "The  terrible  strain  and 
the  awful  slaughter  affect  men's  nerves  so  that 
they  sometimes  go  entirely  to  pieces.  It  is  very 
sad." 


162  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

"It's  horrible!"  muttered  Earl  with  a  shudder. 

"For  my  part  I'd  rather  be  killed,"  said  Leon. 

Attendants  came  and  led  poor  Lippen  away. 
Perhaps  with  constant  care  and  prolonged  quiet 
his  shattered  nerves  might  mend.  At  any  rate  he 
was  but  one  small  part  of  the  army  and  the  war 
must  go  on  whether  he  was  gone  or  not.  Of 
course  all  would  be  done  for  him  that  was  possible, 
but  after  all  one  man  more  or  less  is  a  very  tiny 
part  of  a  big  army.  If  sympathy  was  expended 
on  every  pitiful  case  there  would  not  be  much 
time  left  for  fighting. 

As  the  soldiers  crouched  behind  the  parapet 
Captain  Le  Blanc  approached  the  spot  where 
Jacques  was  seated. 

"Private  Dineau,"  he  said,  "I  understand  that 
you  are  an  aviator." 

"Yes,  sir,"  exclaimed  Jacques,  quickly  spring- 
ing to  his  feet  and  saluting. 

"You  were  once  attached  to  the  flying  corps?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"You  think  you  can  still  drive  an  aeroplane?" 

"I  am  sure  of  it,  sir." 

"Very  good,"  said  the  captain.  "Come  with 
me." 


w 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

AN   ASSIGNMENT 

*  '"^  TJ"  "J^ELL  what  do  you  suppose  he's  going 
to  do?"  exclaimed  Earl  after 
Jacques  and  Captain  Le  Blanc 
had  disappeared. 

"He's  going  flj^ng,  I  suppose,"  said  Dubois. 

*'Say,"  cried  Earl  enviously,  '*I  wish  we 
were." 

** That's  the  best  part  of  the  service  all  right," 
said  Leon.  *' Jacques  and  I  were  in  it  together 
once  and  I  know  what  I'm  talking  about." 

*'Why  did  you  ever  leave  it?"  inquired  Dubois. 

**I  don't  know,"  said  Leon.  ''We  thought  it 
would  be  more  exciting  with  the  infantry  and  so 
we  got  transferred." 

''Flying's  not  as  safe  as  it  was  at  the  beginning 
of  the  war,"  remarked  Dubois. 

"I  know  it  isn't,"  said  Leon.  "There  are  ten 
times  as  many  machines  now  as  there  were  then 
and  ten  times  as  many  flyers.  Then  again,  scout- 
ing over  trenches  is  much  more  dangerous  than 

163 


164  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

over  the  open  country.  Here  you  are  fired  at  con- 
stantly by  the  anti-aircraft  guns  and  you  meet  so 
many  more  machines;  they're  all  concentrated  in 
one  spot.'* 

*'Just  the  same  I'd  like  to  try  it,"  exclaimed 
Earl  eagerly.  '*Do  you  suppose  that  if  Jacques 
is  given  a  machine  he  could  take  us  along  as  ob- 
servers?" 

**No  such  luck  I'm  afraid,"  laughed  Leon 
grimly.    *  *  We  may  never  see  him  again. ' ' 

** Let's  hope  it  will  not  be  as  bad  as  that,"  said 
Dubois.    *  *  Jacques  is  certainly  a  fine  boy. ' ' 

''He's  a  good  friend  of  mine  all  right,"  said 
Leon  warmly. 

After  a  time  the  two  brothers  and  Dubois  were 
relieved  from  duty  and  retired  to  their  dug-out 
for  rest  and  recuperation.  They  were  soon 
asleep,  for  the  experiences  of  the  past  few  hours 
had  been  exhausting.  Heavy  and  regular  breath- 
ing soon  testified  that  the  other  occupants  of 
the  underground  room  were  also  deep  in  slum- 
ber. 

Leon  suddenly  opened  his  eyes  with  the  vague 
impression  in  his  mind  that  someone  was  shaking 
him.  He  awoke  to  find  himself  staring  into  the 
flare  of  a  flashlight.    Some  soldier  held  it  in  one 


AN  ASSIGNMENT  165 

hand  while  with  the  other  he  tugged  at  Leon's 
sleeve. 

The  young  soldier  was  awake  instantly  and  on 
his  feet.  Men  who  live  in  constant  danger  do  not 
waste  any  time  waking  up. 

**What  is  it?"  he  demanded. 

''Come  with  me,"  said  the  man  whom  Leon 
recognized  as  Captain  Le  Blanc's  orderly.  **Also 
bring  your  brother." 

**Wake  up,  Earl,"  whispered  Leon  eagerly  in 
his  brother's  ear. 

A  moment  later  the  twins  and  their  guide  were 
making  their  way  along  the  trenches  towards  the 
captain's  quarters.  It  was  very  dark  and  diflS- 
cult  to  see.  Vague,  shadowy  forms  crouching  low 
behind  the  parapets,  however,  testified  that 
France's  children  were  still  guarding  her.  Day 
after  day  and  night  after  night  the  constant  vigil 
was  kept  up;  never  for  one  moment  did  these 
human  machines  relax  their  caution.  Everywhere 
throughout  the  length  of  the  long  battle-line,  sharp 
eyes  kept  watch. 

Winding  through  the  numerous  trenches  the 
three  soldiers  finally  came  to  their  destination. 
A  moment's  delay  and  they  were  ushered  into  the 
dug-out  which  served  as  Captain  Le  Blanc's  quar- 


166  FIGHTING  IN  FEANCE 

ters.  A  short  time  before,  this  same  shelter  had 
served  a  corresponding  purpose  for  some  German 
official. 

Seated  at  a  table  were  three  men.  One  of  them 
the  brothers  immediately  recognized  as  Captain 
Le  Blanc  but  the  other  two  were  strangers.  The 
officer  on  the  captain's  right  turned  to  him. 

**Are  these  the  two  young  men  of  whom  you 
spoke  ?  "  he  inquired. 

Captain  Le  Blanc  turned  and  glanced  question- 
ingly  at  Jacques  who  stood  nearby.  The  young 
Frenchman  nodded  his  head  slightly. 

** These  are  the  ones,  General,"  said  the  captain, 
facing  again  the  man  who  had  questioned  him. 

"Very  good,"  exclaimed  the  general,  a  keen- 
eyed  soldier  with  white  hair  and  a  white  mus- 
tache. "They  are  friends  of  yours  I  take  it?"  he 
remarked  to  Jacques. 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  Jacques  with  a  prompt 
salute. 

"Young  men,"  said  the  general  now  addressing 
Leon  and  Earl,  "I  have  a  mission  to  be  performed; 
it  requires  the  services  of  an  experienced  aviator 
and  we  have  decided  that  it  is  best  for  him  to  be 
accompanied  by  two  men.  It  is  dangerous  but  it 
is  necessary.    We  have  chosen  you  three  young 


AN  ASSIGNMENT  167 

men  from  among  many  and  we  rely  on  you  to  carry 
the  enterprise  through  to  a  successful  conclusion. 

"You  will  start  at  dawn;  Private  Dineau  will 
be  the  aviator  and  he  will  have  as  aides  the 
brothers  Piatt.  You  will  be  conducted  to  the  ma- 
chine you  are  to  use  and  as  dawn  is  not  far  dis- 
tant I  advise  you  to  prepare  yourselves  at  once. 
Good  luck  to  you.'* 

He  turned  away  and  the  three  boys,  realizing 
that  they  were  dismissed,  immediately  withdrew. 
Captain  Le  Blanc's  orderly  followed  them. 

"I  will  conduct  you  to  your  machine,"  he  an- 
nounced and  set  out  at  once,  closely  followed  by 
the  three  young  soldiers.  Back  from  the  front 
they  walked,  proceeding  through  the  winding 
maze  of  communicating  trenches.  Few  words 
were  spoken  until  they  emerged  from  the  trenches 
entirely  and  came  to  the  open  road. 

A  small  motor-car  with  a  chauffeur  seated  at 
the  wheel  stood  near  the  entrance  to  the  trench. 

*'For  us,"  announced  the  orderly  and  straight- 
way climbed  aboard. 

His  companions  were  not  slow  to  follow  his  ex- 
ample and  a  moment  later  they  were  whizzing  at 
breakneck  speed  along  the  highway. 

** Where  are  we  being  sent?"  demanded  Earl, 


168  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

who  all  this  time  had  been  consumed  with  intense 
curiosity. 

Jacques  merely  shrugged  his  shoulders.  **I  do 
not  know,"  he  said. 

**Say,"  exclaimed  Leon  suddenly,  '* what's  this 
driver  trying  to  do;  kill  us?  Personally  I'd 
rather  be  killed  in  battle  if  I  must  die.  An  auto- 
mobile accident  seems  out  of  place  in  war. ' ' 

**He's  going  some  all  right,  isn't  hef"  cried 
Earl.    "I'd  like  it  th " 

His  words  were  suddenly  cut  short.  The  driver 
svTung  the  car  sharply  to  the  right  to  avoid  a  huge 
shell-hole  blown  in  the  middle  of  the  highway ;  he 
did  not  slacken  his  speed  one  bit,  however.  Earl 
was  thrown  off  the  seat  violently  and  found  him- 
self on  the  floor  of  the  car ;  Jacques  landed  there 
beside  him  at  the  same  time. 

**This  is  pretty  bad,"  exclaimed  Earl.  **I 
agree  with  you,  Leon ;  he  ought  to  stop  it. ' ' 

**But  he  won't,"  announced  Jacques.  *'They 
all  go  like  this. ' ' 

"Well,  I'll  certainly  be  glad  when  it's  over," 
said  Earl  grimly.  "I  can't  get  up  onto  the  seat 
again. ' ' 

"Don't  try,"  advised  Jacques.  "We'll  soon 
be  there." 


AN  ASSIGNMENT  169 

**If  we're  not  all  dead,"  murmured  Earl. 

Presently,  however,  the  speed  slackened  and  the 
machine  came  to  a  stop.  An  aviation  field  with 
hangars  all  around  appeared  some  half  mile  dis- 
tant. 

''Here  we  are,"  announced  the  orderly,  stepping 
from  the  car. 

''How  fast  were  we  going  there,  Leon?"  in- 
quired Earl  as  they  hastened  to  follow  their  guide. 

"Seventy  miles  an  hour,"  said  Leon.  "Did 
you  like  it  I" 

"I  did  not/'  said  Earl  warmly.  "That's  too 
fast  for  me." 

"Wait  until  we  get  into  our  aeroplane,"  warned 
Jacques.  "We'll  travel  a  hundred  miles  an  hour 
easily. ' ' 

"There  are  no  shell-holes  in  the  air  anyway," 
said  Earl.  "We  can't  be  wrecked  that  way  as 
we  nearly  were  back  there  on  the  road." 

"Don't  you  believe  it,"  exclaimed  Jacques. 
"When  they  begin  firing  at  us  from  the  German 
trenches  you'll  find  there  are  plenty  of  shell-holes 
in  the  air  all  right. ' ' 

"By  the  way,  haven't  you  any  idea  where  we're 
going?  " 

"None  at  all.    All  I  know  is  that  this  orderly  is 


170  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

instructed  to  take  us  somewhere  over  here  where 
we  11  get  our  orders. ' ' 

**Who  was  that  man  who  talked  to  us?"  asked 
Leon.    ''They  called  him  'general.'  " 

"That  was  General  Petain,"  said  Jacques. 
*' Didn't  you  know  him?" 

* '  I  never  saw  him  before.    Was  that  really  he  t " 

General  Petain  was  the  man  made  famous  by 
his  splendid  defense  of  Verdun  and  he  was  a  popu- 
lar hero  with  the  soldiers. 

"Who  was  the  third  man?"  asked  Earl. 

"I  don't  know  who  he  was." 

The  first  faint  streaks  of  dawn  were  just  be- 
ginning to  color  the  eastern  sky  as  the  little  party 
stopped  in  front  of  a  vine-covered  cottage,  just  to 
one  side  of  the  aviation  field. 

"Here  I  leave  you,"  announced  their  guide. 
"You  are  to  report  to  Major  Villier."  He  imme- 
diately turned  on  his  heel  and  walked  away. 

Jacques  led  the  way  inside.  The  young  sol- 
diers were  evidently  expected  for  they  were  led 
without  delay  into  the  presence  of  an  officer  seated 
under  a  lamp,  intently  studying  a  map.  He  looked 
up  as  the  three  boys  entered  the  room. 

"Which  one  of  you  is  Private  Dineau?"  he  in- 
quired. 


AN  ASSIGNMENT  171 

**I  am,"  announced  Jacques  stepping  forward. 

**Good,"  exclaimed  the  major.  **Here  are  dis- 
patches which  you  are  to  deliver  to  Colonel  Er- 
hard.  He  is  in  command  at  the  village  of  Flam- 
beau in  the  Vosges  Mountains.  The  dispatches 
are  important  and  should  reach  him  at  the  ear- 
liest possible  moment."  As  he  spoke  he  handed  a 
small  packet  to  Jacques. 

**Your  aeroplane  is  waiting  for  you,"  he  con- 
tinued. * '  It  will  contain  everything  you  will  have 
need  of  and  I  wish  you  a  good  trip  and  a  safe  re- 
turn. I  would  suggest  that  your  two  aides  who 
look  so  very  much  alike  go  and  see  that  everything 
is  in  readiness.  Meanwhile  I  will  point  out 
Flambeau  to  you  on  the  map  and  the  best  route 
for  you  to  follow." 

The  major  smiled  at  the  two  brothers  who  im- 
mediately departed,  and  guided  by  a  soldier  has- 
tened across  the  aviation  field  to  the  spot  where  a 
big  armored  monoplane  was  just  being  trundled 
out  of  its  hangar.  A  machine-gun  was  mounted 
on  board  and  several  bombs  were  also  to  be  car- 
ried. 

**Here  are  coats  for  you,"  said  one  of  the  men 
as  the  two  brothers  approached  the  machine. 
**You  will  find  it  cold  up  among  the  clouds  to- 
day." 


172  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

"How  about  food?"  inquired  Earl.  He  was 
always  particular  about  that. 

''Two  days'  rations  for  three  men,"  said  the 
soldier.  "That  is  more  than  you'll  need  if  all 
goes  well  but  it's  a  good  plan  to  be  prepared." 

"I  think  so  too,"  agreed  Earl.  "What  horse- 
power is  this  machine!" 

"One  hundred." 

"Whew!"  whistled  Earl.  "She  ought  to  be 
able  to  make  time." 

"She  can,"  said  the  soldier  confidently.  "Just 
wait  until  young  Dineau  gets  hold  of  her.  He'll 
make  her  sail;  he's  a  wonder,  that  boy.  It's  a 
shame  he  ever  got  out  of  the  aviation  corps. ' ' 

"He  was  good  all  right,  wasn't  he?"  demanded 
Leon. 

"Good?"  exclaimed  "the  man.  "I  should  say 
he  was  good.  Why  I'll  bet  that  if  he  had  stuck 
to  the  flying  corps  he'd  have  bagged  a  dozen 
Boche  machines  by  this  time." 

"He's  reckless  though,"  said  Leon. 

"Not  reckless,  but  daring,"  insisted  the  sol- 
dier.   *  *  He  doesn  't  know  fear. '  * 

"Here  he  comes  now,"  observed  Earl. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

OVER   THE   TRENCHES 

A  FEW  moments  later  Jacques  was  in  the 
driver's  seat  and  Leon  and  Earl  had 
taken  their  places  on  board.  Every  boy 
was  dressed  in  a  heavy  coat  and  an  aviator's  hood, 
with  protection  for  the  ears  and  face;  warm 
gloves  were  on  their  hands,  for  it  promised  to  be 
biting  cold  in  the  high  air  that  day. 

The  top  rim  of  the  sun  was  just  appearing  over 
the  edge  of  the  trees  as  Jacques  pressed  the  but- 
ton which  set  the  self-starter  whirring.  The  en- 
gine roared  and  the  pilot  listened  intently  for  any 
sound  of  defect  to  come  to  his  well-trained  ear. 
An  aviator  must  know  by  the  sound  just  what  is 
wrong  with  his  motor ;  there  is  no  chance  to  search 
for  the  cause  of  the  trouble  when  you  are  a  mile 
or  two  above  ground. 

Apparently  Jacques  was  satisfied  for  he 
throttled  the  motor  down  until  it  merely  purred. 
**A11  ready?"  he  demanded. 

173 


174  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**Got  your  dispatches,  have  you?"  asked  Leon. 

**Yes,"  said  Jacques,  feeling  of  his  breast 
pocket. 

**I  guess  we^re  off  then,"  cried  Leon  eagerly. 
**Let  'er  go." 

The  monoplane  began  to  move  forward  slowly. 
The  little  knot  of  men  gathered  around  called 
good-bys  as  the  great  mechanical  bird  ran  out 
across  the  field.  Faster  and  faster  it  went ;  finally 
Jacques  pulled  a  lever  and  gracefully  and  easily 
it  rose  from  the  ground.  Up,  up,  up  it  soared, 
swiftly  and  steadily. 

**Say,"  almost  shouted  Earl,  ''this  is  wonder- 
ful. I've  never  been  in  an  aeroplane  before,  you 
know." 

"Well  you  keep  your  eye  out  for  other  machines 
and  for  people  shooting  at  us  from  below,"  ad- 
vised Leon.    "That's  your  job  and  mine." 

"It's  such  a  wonderful  sensation  flying  like 
this,"  cried  Earl.  "Just  look  down  below  us 
there.  The  roads  look  like  white  ribbons  and  the 
trees  like  bouquets.  Don't  the  houses  seem 
small?" 

Earl  was  enchanted.  Leon  and  Jacques  too, 
although  they  were  experienced  hands  at  this 
game,  once  more  felt  the  thrill  of  soaring  swiftly 


OVER  THE  TRENCHES  175 

through  space.  Jacques  particularly  was  pleased 
to  be  in  the  driver's  seat  of  an  aeroplane  again; 
his  face  plainly  showed  his  keen  enjoyment. 

Higher  and  higher  they  mounted;  below  them 
the  earth  semed  miles  away  and  the  buildings  and 
fields  appeared  to  be  of  toy  size.  It  was  cold, 
however,  bitterly  cold,  and  all  three  of  the  boys 
were  profoundly  thankful  for  their  warm  wraps. 

"You  know  it  feels  as  if  we  were  standing 
still,"  exclaimed  Earl. 

**I  know  it,"  agreed  his  brother.  **The 
higher  you  go  the  more  it  seems  that  way  too." 

*'Yes,  sir,"  cried  Earl,  **if  I  didn't  know  better 
I  should  say  that  we  were  absolutely  stationary 
and  that  it  was  the  earth  below  that  moved." 

** Isn't  the  machine  steady?" 

*' Feels  as  steady  as  a  rock.  You  know  I 
haven't  felt  the  least  bit  nervous  since  we 
started." 

"Why  should  you!'*  demanded  Leon.  "We're 
a  good  deal  safer  here  than  we  are  in  the 
trenches." 

"I  suppose  that's  true,"  mused  Earl.  "You 
wouldn't  think  so,  though,  would  you?" 

"I  don't  know.  The  way  the  machines  are  per- 
fected nowadays  there  is  practically  no  danger 


176  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

> 

from  accident  and  with  a  good  aviator  you  are 
as  safe  as  any  one  can  be  in  war.  Of  course  plenty 
of  machines  are  destroyed  and  the  pilots  and  ob- 
servers killed,  but  I  believe  the  proportion  is 
smaller  than  in  any  other  branch  of  the  service." 

*  *  Say, '  *  called  Jacques  from  the  pilot 's  seat. 

*'What  is  it?"  demanded  Leon. 

<<I've  got  a  question  to  ask  you.  There  are 
two  ways  of  reaching  Flambeau  and  I  want  your 
advice  as  to  which  to  take.  One  way  we  can  go 
around  back  of  the  firing  line  and  be  practically 
safe  all  the  way." 

**Go  that  way  then,"  exclaimed  Leon  quickly. 

**But,"  objected  Jacques,  **that  course  is  much 
longer. '  * 

''Major  Villier  and  General  Petain  both  said 
that  the  dispatches  should  be  delivered  as  soon  as 
possible,  didn't  they?" 

"  'At  the  earliest  possible  moment,'  was  the 
way  they  expressed  it,"  said  Jacques. 

"Then,"  said  Leon,  "we  ought  to  take  the 
shortest  route." 

"It  crosses  the  battle  line  twice,"  said  Jacques. 
"You  know  the  trenches  make  a  big  loop  below 
here  and  we  will  have  to  cut  straight  across  that 
loop." 


OVER  THE  TRENCHES  177 

** Never  mind,"  exclaimed  Leon.  **If  they  said 
to  deliver  the  dispatches  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment  it's  for  us  to  take  the  shortest  possible 
course  in  order  to  do  that. ' ' 

*  *  I  think  so  too, ' '  agreed  Earl.  *  *  We  '11  have  to 
run  our  chances,  that's  all." 

"There  are  the  trenches  below  us  now,"  cried 
Leon  suddenly.    **See  them  up  ahead  there?" 

**Sure  enough,"  exclaimed  Earl.  ** Don't  they 
look  funny  from  here?  They  look  just  like  a 
series  of  deep  scars  running  in  all  directions." 

**You  can't  see  the  first  line  trenches  yet,"  said 
Leon.  **You  can  easily  tell  them  for  they'll  run 
exactly  parallel  to  one  another  and  the  space  in 
between  them  will  be  the  only  place  where  you  see 
no  trenches.  Behind  both  the  French  and  Ger- 
man first  lines  there  are  any  number  of  other 
trenches  running  in  all  directions  and  all  con- 
nected. But  in  between  the  two  front  ones  there 
is  nothing;  'nc-man's  land'  they  call  it." 

**  'Dead-man's  land'  would  be  better  I  should 
think." 

**See  them  firing,"  exclaimed  Leon  suddenly. 

**At  us?"  queried  Earl. 

**No.  You  can  see  those  puffs  of  smoke  down 
below  there  though ;  those  are  bursting  shells. ' ' 


178  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

*' There  are  the  first  line  trenches  too,"  said 
Earl  abruptly.  **You  can  teU  them  easily,  can't 
you,  just  as  you  said." 

**IIow  high  are  we,  Jacques!"  inquired  Leon. 

The  young  aviator  consulted  his  indicator. 
*  *  Two  thousand  meters, ' '  he  replied. 

** Let's  see,"  said  Leon,  trying  to  figure  it  out 
in  his  head,  *  *  there  are  a  little  over  three  feet  in  a 
meter  and  that  would  make  two  thousand  meters 
about  six  thousand  feet  or  over.  There  are  five 
thousand  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  a  mile; 
that  makes  us  a  little  over  a  mile  high." 

**Can  they  hit  us  at  this  distance?"  asked  Earl. 

**They  can,  but  I  hope  they  don't,"  said  Leon 
grimly. 

** Funny  we  haven't  seen  any  other  machines," 
remarked  Earl. 

''Well  we're  right  over  the  front  trenches  now 
and  I  guess  plenty  of  people  see  us  and  are  look- 
ing at  us  right  this  minute. ' ' 

As  he  spoke  a  puff  of  white  smoke  suddenly 
appeared  ahead  of  them  but  some  distance  below. 

''They're  firing  at  us,"  exclaimed  Jacques. 

"Shall  we  drop  a  bomb  on  them?"  cried 
Earl  eagerly.  "We  want  them  to  know  that 
we're  alive,  you  know." 


OVER  THE  TKENCHES  179 

** Don't  do  it,"  cautioned  Jacques.  "It  would 
probably  be  wasted  here." 

''There's  another  shot,"  cried  Leon.  ''Behind 
us  this  time." 

"Let's  hope  their  aim  continues  as  poor  as 
that,"  said  Jacques.  "We  want  to  get  those  dis- 
patches to  Colonel  Erhard  at  Flambeau  before 
anything  happens  to  us." 

"We'll  be  over  hostile  territory  all  the  way, 
won't  we?"  asked  Earl. 

"We  will,"  replied  Jacques,  "and  we'll  be  fired 
at  all  the  way  too.  If  they  should  send  a  couple 
of  machines  up  after  us  we  might  have  to  run 
for  it." 

"I  don't  know  where  we'd  run  to,''  said  Leon 
grimly. 

"Nor  I,"  admitted  Jacques.  "Let's  hope  that 
we  can  out-distance  any  machines  that  start  to 
chase  us." 

"Do  you  think  this  machine  is  faster  than  the 
German  ones?"  asked  Earl. 

"Faster  than  most  of  them,"  replied  Jacques. 
"Probably  not  as  speedy  as  those  new  fokkers 
though;  they  go  like  the  wind,  but  they  are  too 
light  and  I  doubt  if  one  of  them  could  do  us  a 
great  deal  of  harm." 


180  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

They  passed  over  many  towns  and  hamlets; 
the  green  fields  of  France  lay  spread  out  beneath 
them  like  some  soft  green  carpet.  It  all  appeared 
very  beautiful  and  peaceful  nov?"  that  they  were 
some  miles  back  of  the  firing  line.  An  occasional 
puff  of  smoke  around  them,  however,  showed  that 
they  still  traversed  hostile  territory;  at  least  it 
was  land  held  by  the  invader. 

Once  a  German  machine  rose  from  its  hangar 
far  below  and  set  out  in  pursuit  of  the  speeding 
monoplane;  it  was  quickly  out-distanced,  how- 
ever, and  soon  abandoned  the  chase.  Without 
any  special  incident  the  three  young  friends  pro- 
gressed until  far  ahead  of  them  they  could  make 
out  the  faint  outlines  of  the  Vosges. 

** There  are  the  mountains,"  cried  Jacques. 

**Sure  enough,"  exclaimed  Earl.  **Well  weVe 
had  a  pretty  easy  trip  of  it,  haven't  we?  It  has 
been  a  regular  pleasure  jaunt." 

* 'We're  not  there  yet,"  warned  Leon. 


CHAPTEE  XX 

AT  FLAMBEAU 

CLOSER  and  closer  they  came  to  the  moun- 
tains. Presently  it  was  possible  to  make 
out  the  different  summits,  all  of  them 
wrapped  in  a  blue  haze. 

*'Do  you  know  where  Flambeau  is,  Jacques?" 
queried  Earl. 

'*I  do." 

''We'll  have  to  cross  the  firing  line  again,  won't 
we!" 

*  *  Yes ;  pretty  soon  now  too,  I  think. ' ' 

*'Do  you  know  where  it  runs  here?"  asked 
Leon.  *'If  it  should  follow  the  top  of  some  of 
these  mountains  we'd  have  to  ascend  much  higher 
than  we  are  now  to  be  out  of  range,  wouldn't 
we?" 

*'We  certainly  would.  Keep  your  eyes  open 
and  see  if  you  can  see  any  signs  of  trenches ;  we 
ought  to  be  pretty  close  now." 

The  foothills  were  below  them  now.  The 
wooded  slopes  were  cut  and  gashed  by  gullies 

181 


182  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

and  ravines  and  now  and  then  a  fertile  valley 
appeared,  l^he  hills  grew  in  size  rapidly,  how- 
ever, and  it  was  not  long  before  the  mountains 
themselves  were  underneath  them.  Once  or  twice 
a  cloud  wrapped  them  in  its  damp  folds  and  it 
was  with  a  feeling  of  relief  when  they  emerged 
into  the  sunlight  again. 

**Whew,  it's  cold,"  exclaimed  Leon  slapping 
his  hands  together. 

*'My  hands  are  cold  too,"  said  Jacques.  "You 
have  the  best  of  me  though  for  I  can't  warm  them 
the  way  you  are  doing." 

* '  Please  don 't  try, ' '  laughed  Earl.  "  I  'd  rather 
that  you  should  have  cold  hands  than  we  should 
all  go  spinning  down  to  earth." 

''Well  I'll — "  Jacques  began  when  Leon  sud- 
denly interrupted  him. 

**  There  are  the  trenches,"  he  exclaimed. 
**See  them?  They  run  right  across  that  val- 
ley." 

''That's  right,"  agreed  Jacques.  "Let's  see; 
we  must  be  fairly  close  to  our  destination  by 
now."    He  consulted  his  map. 

"I  hope  so,"  exclaimed  Earl.  "I'm  cold  and 
hungry." 

"Right  over  that  next  sunamit,"  said  Jacques. 


AT  FLAMBEAU  183 

**If  our  luck  only  holds  out  a  few  minutes  longer 
we're  all  right." 

They  crossed  the  firing  line  which  appeared 
very  far  away  in  the  distant  valley.  They  passed 
over  the  summit  of  the  mountain  Jacques  had  in- 
dicated and  far  below  them  they  saw  a  tiny  ham- 
let; a  white  church  with  its  pointed  steeple  stood 
in  the  center  of  the  little  cluster  of  houses. 

** There's  Flambeau,"  announced  Jacques. 

** Good,"  cried  Earl.  ** Where  do  we  land?  In 
that  big  field  behind  the  church ! ' ' 

**That  seems  to  be  the  only  place,  doesn't  it!^' 

**As  far  as  I  can  see  it  is,"  remarked  Leon. 

"All  right,"  said  Jacques.    ''Here  we  go." 

The  monoplane  dipped  and  began  to  descend  in 
great  circles.  The  young  pilot  shut  off  the  motor 
and  in  silence,  except  for  the  noise  of  the  air  rush- 
ing through  the  wings,  it  swooped  downward. 

Earl  did  not  enjoy  this  as  much  as  he  had  the 
previous  flying.  As  they  came  nearer  and  nearer 
to  earth  he  could  see  the  trees  and  fields  rushing 
past  beneath  them  and  the  sensation  of  speed  was 
very  great.  He  felt  slightly  nauseated  and  clung 
tightly  to  the  sides  of  his  seat. 

Jacques  was  most  skillful,  however.  He  ma- 
neuvered the  monoplane  until  they  were  directly 


184  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

over  the  field  where  they  intended  to  make  a  land- 
ing. Then  he  suddenly  shot  downward  until  they 
were  but  a  few  yards  above  the  ground ;  suddenly 
he  straightened  out  the  machine  and  they  came  to 
earth  gracefully  and  without  a  jar.  The  mono- 
plane ran  along  the  ground  for  a  short  distance 
and  came  to  a  stop. 

A  squad  of  soldiers  in  the  blue  uniform  of 
France  came  hurrying  forward  to  greet  the 
aviators. 

**Is  this  Flambeau?"  demanded  Jacques  of  the 
corporal. 

"It  is,"  replied  the  man  addressed. 

**And  Colonel  Erhard  is  here?" 

"He  is.    Do  you  wish  to  see  him?" 

"I  have  some  most  important  dispatches  for 
him." 

"Of  course  you  wish  to  deliver  them  to  him  in 
person  ? ' ' 

"Yes,"  said  Jacques. 

"If  you  will  come  with  me,"  said  the  corporal, 
"I  will  conduct  you  to  him  at  once." 

Jacques  climbed  out  of  the  monoplane  and  set 
out  across  the  field  with  the  corporal. 

"We'll  wait  right  here  for  you,  Jacques," 
called  Leon,  as  he  and  Earl  also  stepped  out  of 


AT  FLAMBEAU  185 

the   machine   and   began   to   stretch   their   legs. 

"Anglais?"  queried  one  of  the  soldiers,  hearing 
Leon  speak  in  English. 

**Americain,"  smiled  Leon. 

*'Bon,"  exclaimed  the  man.  '^Parlez-vous 
Francaisf  Je  ne  parle  pas  VAnglaise."  (Good. 
Do  you  speak  French!    I  do  not  speak  English.) 

^'Un  pen"  (a  little),  said  Leon  and  he  and  his 
brother  did  their  best  to  carry  on  a  conversation 
in  French  with  their  new  friends. 

It  seemed  that  there  had  been  spirited  fighting 
for  the  last  week  along  that  portion  of  the  front. 
The  men  were  of  the  opinion  that  the  attacks  and 
counter-attacks  thus  far  had  been  in  the  nature  of 
feelers  and  that  both  sides  were  searching  for  a 
weak  spot  in  their  opponent's  line.  They  all 
seemed  to  feel  that  a  general  offensive  was  about 
to  be  undertaken  and  every  man  was  convinced 
that  the  dispatches  the  three  young  friends  had 
brought  were  in  some  way  connected  with  this 
movement. 

The  sun  was  warm  in  the  field  and  the  twin 
brothers  spent  a  most  enjoyable  hour  talking  with 
their  new  comrades.  Like  all  the  French  troops 
they  were  talkative,  enthusiastic  and  hospitable. 
They  were  eager  for  news ;  they  were  certain  that 


186  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

France  and  her  allies  would  be  victorious;  they 
also  brought  hot  coffee  and  sweet  chocolate  for 
the  young  Americans.  They  were  delighted  to 
think  that  people  from  a  land  so  distant  should 
think  enough  of  France  to  fight  for  her  in  her 
struggle  for  freedom  and  justice. 

Leon  and  Earl  were  particularly  interested  to 
learn  that  large  forces  of  Russian  troops  were 
now  fighting  side  by  side  with  their  allies  on  the 
western  front.  They  had  not  heard  that  there 
were  Russian  soldiers  in  France,  although  such 
reports  had  often  been  freely  circulated.  A  sol- 
dier knows  little  about  the  war  in  which  he  fights ; 
he  sees  what  takes  place  on  the  ground  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  place  where  he  is  located 
but  the  general  outcome  or  fortunes  of  battles  he 
knows  nothing  about.  People  at  home  or  in  neu- 
tral countries  know  much  more  about  the  actual 
trend  of  the  war  than  does  the  soldier  who  fights 
its  battles. 

Finally  Jacques  went  back  to  the  monoplane 
and  preparations  for  an  immediate  return  were 
made. 

''All  ready  to  go  back?*'  he  inquired  cheerily. 

*'Yes,"  said  Leon.  **Did  you  deliver  your  dis- 
patches all  right?" 


AT  FLAMBEAU  187 

**Yes,  indeed,  and  now  we  have  nothing  to  think 
about  except  getting  back  home  to  the  douzieme 
once  more.'* 

"I'd  hardly  caU  it  home,*'  laughed  Earl.  *'I 
hope  there  aren't  as  many  bullets  and  shells  flying 
around  our  homes  as  there  are  around  the 
douzieme.  Home  wouldn't  be  very  comfortable 
under  those  circumstances." 

''Well  we'd  better  start  anyway,"  said  Jacques. 
**A11  aboard!" 

The  boys  quickly  scrambled  back  to  their  places. 
The  little  group  of  soldiers  they  were  leaving 
wished  them  the  best  of  luck  and  then  the  machine 
started. 

**Do  you  suppose  we'll  have  as  easy  a  trip 
home  as  we  did  coming?"  asked  Earl  as  they 
began  to  soar  higher  and  higher. 

**We  can  go  the  long  way  if  you  want  to,"  said 
Jacques. 

"What  do  you  think,  Leon?"  demanded  Earl. 
"Don't  you  think  we  might  as  well  take  the  longer 
but  the  safer  route  on  the  return  trip?" 

"I  don't  see  why  not,"  exclaimed  Leon.  "We 
can  fly  just  behind  the  battle-line  aU  the  way  back. 
I'd  like  to  see  what  it  looks  like." 

"So  should  I,"  agreed  Jacques.    "We'll  do  it 


188  FIGHTING  IN  FEANCE 

then,  only  we'll  have  to  keep  a  mile  or  so  behind 
the  front." 

"That's  all  right,"  exclaimed  EarL  **We  can 
see  if  we're  a  mile  or  so  high." 

They  had  covered  scarcely  two  miles  from  the 
village  of  Flambeau  when  Leon  suddenly  spied 
another  aeroplane. 

"Look I"  he  cried  excitedly.  "There's  another 
monoplane  I" 

"Where?"  demanded  Jacques. 

"To  your  right." 

One  glance  was  enough  for  Jacques.  His  ex- 
perienced eye  immediately  identified  the  stranger 
and  he  turned  to  his  two  aides. 

"That's  a  German  flier,"  he  remarked.  "Get 
the  machine-gun  ready.'* 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  demanded  Earl 
eagerly. 

"Chase  him  of  course,"  said  Jacques. 


N 


CHAPTER  XXI 

DISABLED 

'  '"T^  "YOW  you  fellows  will  have  to  do  all  the 
work  with  the  machine-gun,*'  ex- 
claimed Jacques  as  he  shifted  tiie 
course  of  the  big  monoplane  and  started  in  pur- 
suit of  their  enemy. 

*' Leave  that  to  us,"  cried  Leon. 

**I'll  have  to;  maneuvering  this  machine  will 
keep  me  busy." 

Higher  and  higher  Jacques  steered  the  mono- 
plane. His  desire  was  to  rise  above  their  op- 
ponent if  possible  and  thus  take  him  at  a  dis- 
advantage. 

**Do  you  suppose  he  sees  us?"  demanded  Earl. 

** Certainly  he  does,"  said  Leon. 

*  *  And  he 's  ready  to  fight  ? " 

**If  he  wasn't  he'd  turn  and  run." 

**How  soon  shall  we  open  fire?" 

**I  don't  know  yet;  he's  two  miles  away  now, 
anyway." 

Speeding  through  the  sky  the  two  great  me- 

189 


190  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

chanical  birds  rushed  at  each  other.  With  jaw 
set  and  a  cool  calculating  eye  Jacques  sat  in  the 
pilot's  seat  and  directed  the  course  of  his  flier. 
Earl  and  Leon  held  the  machine-gun  ready  for  in- 
stant action. 

* 'We're  almost  over  the  battle-line,"  announced 
Earl  suddenly.    "I  can  see  the  trenches  below." 

' '  Never  mind  them, ' '  exclaimed  Leon.  '  *  Watch 
that  machine." 

*'He's  smaller  than  we  are,"  said  Earl. 

** There  are  only  two  men  in  it  too,"  added 
Leon. 

**Get  ready,"  ordered  Jacques  suddenly. 

As  the  two  machines  approached  each  other 
Jacques  all  at  once  elevated  his  front  plane  and 
the  big  French  flier  rose  swiftly  higher  and 
higher.  The  opponents  were  scarcely  a  half- 
mile  apart  now  and  as  the  monoplane  in  which  the 
three  young  soldiers  of  France  were  seated  rose 
above  its  adversary  Leon  and  Earl  opened  fire 
with  the  machine-gun. 

The  Germans  replied  but  the  aim  of  each  was 
poor  and  the  two  fliers  swept  past  each  other  un- 
harmed. 

**Turn   around,   Jacques,   and   go   back   after 


DISABLED  191 

him,"  cried  Leon  excitedly.  **We'll  get  him  next 
time." 

With  a  wide  graceful  sweep  Jacques  turned  the 
big  monoplane  and  advanced  again  to  the  attack. 
The  German  also  had  wheeled  and  once  again  the 
two  machines  approached  each  other,  maneuvering 
for  position. 

"Be  careful  now,"  warned  Jacques.  "We 
can't  afford  to  miss  many  times  for  you  may  be 
sure  he  won't." 

"Get  above  him,  Jacques,"  cried  EarL 
"That's  our  best  chance." 

They  were  high  above  the  summits  of  the 
Vosges  now:  the  air  was  bitterly  cold,  but  the 
three  young  aviators  did  not  notice  that  fact. 
Neither  did  they  notice  that  in  their  maneuvers 
they  had  crossed  the  battle  line  and  were  now 
flying  over  territory  occupied  by  their  foes. 
Their  one  object  was  the  German  aeroplane  and 
everything  else  had  been  forgotten  in  their  desire 
to  accomplish  its  downfall. 

Around  and  around  the  two  machines  flew,  each 
one  trying  to  force  its  opponent  into  a  position  of 
disadvantage. 

"We're  faster  than  he  is,  Jacques, *^'  cried  Leon. 


192  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**  Follow  him  up  from  behind  and  go  higher  than 
he  does." 

"I  don't  believe  we  can  do  that,"  exclaimed 
Jacques  doubtfully. 

''Try  it,"  urged  Leon  eagerly. 

''I'll  try  it." 

Jacques  skillfully  wheeled  the  machine  and  de- 
scribing a  great  loop,  doubled  on  his  course. 
Meanwhile  he  rose  to  greater  and  greater  heights. 
The  earth  was  now  many  thousand  feet  below; 
even  the  clouds  were  beneath  them  in  many  in- 
stances. 

"He's  running  away,"  cried  Earl  suddenly. 

"After  him,  Jacques!  After  him!"  shouted 
Leon. 

The  German,  perceiving  Jacques'  purpose  had 
turned  and  was  now  fleeing  at  full  speed.  No 
more  did  he  circle  and  maneuver  for  position ;  his 
course  was  straightened  out  and  he  raced  for 
safety. 

' '  "We  '11  get  him, ' '  shouted  Leon.  ' '  We  're  gain- 
ing fast." 

Closer  and  closer  they  came  to  their  enemy. 
Little  by  little  the  distance  between  the  two  rac- 
ing machines  decreased.  The  three  boys  leaned 
forward  tensely  as  if  to  urge  their  flier  on ;  Leon 


DISABLED  193 

and  Earl  sat  ready  to  open  fire  with  the  machine- 
gun  the  moment  Jacques  should  give  the  word. 

Suddenly  the  German  machine  shot  downward ; 
it  was  a  ruse  to  throw  off  the  pursuer  who  fol- 
lowed so  relentlessly,  but  it  was  of  no  avail. 
Jacques  did  the  same  thing  and  earthward  the 
big  monoplane  rushed  at  breakneck  speed. 

The  German  flier  turned  and  started  back; 
Jacques  followed.  All  the  time  the  three  boys 
were  gaining  on  their  foe.  They  were  almost 
within  range  now  and  the  twin  brothers  prepared 
to  carry  out  their  part  of  the  task  in  hand. 

*'Get  ready,"  warned  Jacques  when  they  were 
only  a  few  hundred  yards  behind  their  opponent 
and  some  distance  above  him. 

''We're  ready,"  answered  Leon  quickly. 

*'Let  'em  have  it  then,"  cried  Jacques. 

The  sharp  rattling  fire  of  the  machine-gun  an- 
swered his  words  and  even  the  roar  of  the  motor 
was  unheard  in  the  tumult.  Below,  the  Germans 
could  be  seen  aiming  their  quick-firers  skyward 
at  their  French  pursuer. 

Jacques  had  been  successful  in  gaining  the  bet- 
ter position,  however,  and  they  had  their  foe  at 
a  distinct  disadvantage.  Leon  and  Earl  poured 
a  deadly  stream  of  bullets  at  their  adversary. 


194  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**He's  hit,"  cried  Earl  Buddenly. 

**So  are  we,"  exclaimed  Jacques. 

"Where?"  demanded  Leon  in  alarm. 

**A  bullet  has  cut  one  of  the  supports  for  our 
wings. ' ' 

"Is  it  dangerous?"  asked  Earl  anxiously. 

"I'm  afraid  so;  I  can't  tell  yet." 

The  fire  from  the  German  machine  had  ceased. 
It  floated  through  the  air  as  though  the  pilot  had 
lost  control  and  its  speed  had  decreased  greatly. 

"Give  him  another  volley,  Leon,"  urged 
Jacques. 

They  were  directly  above  their  opponent  now. 
Pointing  the  machine-gun  straight  downward  the 
two  brothers  sent  another  hail  of  bullets  whistling 
towards  their  foe. 

The  German  machine  fluttered  for  a  moment 
like  a  wounded  bird.  Suddenly  a  blaze  appeared 
from  a  spot  near  the  gasoline  tank;  a  moment 
later  there  was  a  burst  of  flame  enveloping  nearly 
the  whole  machine.  It  reeled  drunkenly  for  a  mo- 
ment and  then  fell. 

Fascinated,  the  two  brothers  watched  its  de- 
scent. Like  some  great  flaming  meteor  it  hurtled 
earthward.  Down,  down,  down  it  plunged  into 
the  distant  valley  below.    A  sheet  of  fire  trailed 


DISABLED  195 

behind  until  finally  it  struck  the  earth  with  a 
crash;  there  was  a  burst  of  smoke  and  with  a 
start  the  young  Americans  came  to  themselves 
again. 

The  horror  and  the  awfulness  of  their  oppo- 
nent's death  had  had  a  profound  effect  upon  them 
and  for  the  moment  they  had  forgotten  everything 
else.  Still,  this  was  war  and  death  is  part  of  the 
game. 

Jacques,  however,  had  paid  no  attention  to  the 
fate  of  the  German  flier.  All  he  knew  was  that 
his  own  machine  was  disabled  and  that  he  and  his 
companions  were  in  deadly  peril. 

**What  do  you  think,  Jacques?'*  demanded 
Leon.    "Will  that  wing  hold  up?" 

**I  do  not  think  so,"  replied  Jacques  soberly. 
**I  think  we  must  land." 

** Where  are  we?" 

** Inside  the  German  lines.'* 

**But  if  we  land  here  we  will  all  be  taken 
prisoners." 

**Our  lines  must  be  ten  miles  away,"  said 
Jacques.    ''What  can  we  do?" 

*'It  won't  hold  as  that  far  you  think?'*  asked 
Earl  anxiously.  , 

**I  am  sure  it  won't." 


196  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**Can»twetryit!'' 

"It  would  be  foolish,"  said  Jacques  firmly. 
**  Unless  we  land  at  once  that  wing  may  collapse 
and  then  we  shall  go  spinning  towards  the  earth 
just  as  fast  as  did  those  Germans." 

**You  know  best,"  exclaimed  Leon.  **I  hate  to 
think  of  being  taken  to  some  German  prison  camp 
though." 

** Perhaps  we  can  make  repairs,"  said  Jacques. 

Carefully  he  descended,  now  and  then  casting 
an  anxious  look  towards  the  weakened  support. 
Below  was  a  heavily  wooded  valley  with  only  an 
occasional  small  clearing  where  a  tiny  farm  ap- 
peared. 

**Can  we  land  all  right?"  inquired  Earl. 

**We  can  with  luck,"  replied  Jacques  grimly. 

The  big  monoplane  wobbled  badly  at  times  and 
the  young  aviator  had  to  call  upon  all  of  his  skill 
to  prevent  the  machine  from  capsizing.  As  they 
neared  the  ground  the  three  boys  maintained  a 
strict  silence  and  with  anxious  hearts  awaited  the 
outcome. 

A  wide  forest  stretched  beneath  them.  The 
waving  tree-tops  appeared  soft  and  feathery  from 
above,  but  the  three  boys  knew  that  unless  they 
could  avoid  the  trees  their  doom  was  sealed.    The 


DISABLED  197 

open  space  in  which  Jacques  was  trying  to  effect 
a  landing  seemed  pitifully  small. 

The  young  Frenchman  was  a  past  master  of 
aviation,  however.  With  the  greatest  skill  he 
directed  the  disabled  machine  until  they  were 
directly  above  the  clearing.  He  shut  off  the  en- 
gine, which  had  been  running  at  only  half  speed 
lately;  one  final  short  turn  and  he  brought  the 
aeroplane  safely  to  earth. 

The  landing  was  in  a  plowed  field  and  as  a  re- 
sult not  as  smooth  as  it  would  have  been  on  the 
aviation  grounds,  but  they  were  safej  that  was 
the  principal  thing. 

"Good  work,  Jacques!"  cried  Leon  enthu- 
siastically. 

"We're  safe  from  the  air  but  how  about  the 
Germans?"  demanded  Jacques  anxiously. 

"Well  they  won't  take  us  without  an  argument 
anj^way,"  exclaimed  Leon.  He  drew  his  auto- 
matic revolver  from  its  case  and  gazed  appre- 
hensively at  the  little  white  house  which  stood  in 
one  corner  of  the  clearing. 

"See  if  you  can't  repair  that  wing,  Jacques," 
urged  Earl.  "We  may  be  able  to  fix  it  and  get 
back  without  any  trouble  at  all." 

"No  Germans  are  apt  to  be  around  here  any- 


198  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

way,"  exclaimed  Leon.  **Why  we  are  miles  and 
miles  behind  the  front  and  in  the  middle  of  a  big 
forest.  We  could  hide  in  these  woods  for  weeks 
and  never  be  discovered." 

**  German  observers  have  undoubtedly  seen  our 
machine  descend,"  said  Jacques.  "They  are 
probably  searching  for  us  already." 

**Look  there!"  cried  Earl  suddenly. 


CHAPTER  XXn 

IN   THE   CLEARING 

HIGH  in  the  air  above  the  spot  where  the 
three  boys  were  standing  appeared  an 
aeroplane. 

"A  German  machine,"  exclaimed  Leon. 

"And  looking  for  us,"  added  Jacques  grimly. 

*'Do  you  suppose  he  sees  us?"  asked  Earl. 

"No  doubt  of  it,"  said  Jacques  confidently. 
"There'll  be  German  soldiers  here  before  you 
know  it. ' ' 

"Can't  you  repair  the  machine!" 

"I  think  I  could  if  I  had  some  wire." 

"I'll  run  over  to  the  house  and  see  if  I  can't 
find  some." 

"There  may  be  Germans  living  there,"  objected 
Jacques.    "You'd  better  be  careful." 

"He  dropped  a  bomb,"  suddenly  cried  Leon 
who  had  not  once  removed  his  gaze  from  the  flier 
high  above  their  heads. 

A  tiny  speck  appeared  under  the  aeroplane  and 
rapidly  approached  the  earth. 

199 


200  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**Lie  down,'*  shouted  Jacques,  immediately 
suiting  his  action  to  the  word.  The  two  brothers 
instantly  did  likewise. 

A  moment  later  there  was  a  sharp  explosion. 
From  the  sound  it  was  certain  that  the  bomb  had 
struck  only  a  short  distance  away.  A  moment 
after  hearing  the  report,  however,  the  three  young 
soldiers  were  on  their  feet. 

** Where  did  it  land?"  demanded  Earl. 

**0n  that  barn,"  exclaimed  Leon.  **Just  look 
at  it." 

The  roof  had  been  partly  blown  off  the  little 
barn  and  already  the  structure  was  in  flames. 

**I  hope  he  doesn't  try  it  again,"  said  Earl 
gazing  skyward. 

**I  guess  he  won't,"  said  Jacques.  **He  seems 
to  be  flying  away. ' ' 

**Yes,"  exclaimed  Leon.  **I  suppose  he's  gone 
to  tell  where  we  are  and  to  send  somebody  after 
us." 

"If  I  only  had  some  wire,"  said  Jacques  ex- 
amining the  broken  support. 

''Well  I'm  going  over  to  see  if  we  can't  find 
something  in  that  house, ' '  said  Earl  firmly.  '  *  It 's 
funny  there  doesn't  seem  to  be  anybody  around." 

**The    house    must    be    empty,"    said    Leon. 


IN  THE  CLEAEING  201 

**That  bomb  and  the  fire  would  certainly  have 
brought  any  one  out  if  the  place  was  occupied. ' ' 

At  that  moment,  however,  the  door  of  the  house 
opened  and  two  men  in  priest's  robes  appeared. 
They  glanced  once  in  the  direction  of  the  dam- 
aged monoplane  and  then  rushed  towards  the 
burning  barn. 

"They  can't  do  much  to  stop  that  fire  now,"  re- 
marked Leon  grimly.  **By  the  way  the  bam 
burns  it  must  be  full  of  hay." 

"I'll  go  speak  to  them,"  exclaimed  Earl. 
"They  may  be  able  to  give  us  some  wire." 

"I'd  better  go,  I  guess,"  said  Jacques.  "As 
my  French  is  better  than  yours  I  can  probably 
talk  to  them  easier  than  you  can." 

"That's  true,"  agreed  Earl  readily.  "Why 
don 't  we  all  go  ? " 

"You  two  stay  here  and  guard  this  mono- 
plane," exclaimed  Jacques.  "They  may  arrive 
here  after  us  at  any  minute."  He  set  off  at  a 
run  across  the  field. 

"If  that  aviator  who  threw  the  bomb  has  landed 
yet,"  remarked  Leon,  "he  has  undoubtedly  tele- 
phoned to  the  post  nearest  this  place  and  soldiers 
are  probably  on  their  way  here  already." 

"They've  got  to  go  through  a  lot  of  woods  to 


202  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

reach  this  spot,"  said  Earl.  ''Perhaps  they 
won't  be  able  to  find  it." 

"Don't  you  worry  about  that;  they'll  come 
straight  here  without  the  least  bit  of  trouble." 

''The  minute  any  Germans  appear  it  seems  to 
me  the  thing  for  us  to  do  is  to  take  to  the  woods. 
We  might  be  able  to  escape  that  way. ' ' 

"Our  chance  of  escape  depends  on  whether 
Jacques  can  get  any  wire  or  not,"  said  Leon.  "I 
wish  he  could  hurry. ' ' 

"He'll  do  his  best,"  remarked  Earl.  "You 
may  be  sure  of  that." 

"What's  he  doing  over  there  anyway?" 

"Talking  with  the  priests  as  far  as  I  can  see," 
said  Earl.  "I  guess  they  decided  there  was  no 
use  in  trying  to  save  their  barn." 

"I  should  say  not.  It's  too  bad  though  and  as 
a  matter  of  fact  we  are  the  ones  who  are  really 
to  blame  for  it." 

"How  so?" 

"Well,  if  we  hadn't  landed  in  this  clearing  that 
German  flier  would  not  have  dropped  any  bombs 
down  here.'* 

"That's  true,"  agreed  Earl.  "Where's  that 
priest  going?" 

He  had  turned  and  was  walking  swiftly  towards 


IN  THE  CLEAEING  203 

the  house.  Jacques  stood  talking  with  the  other 
priest  for  a  moment  and  then  he  too  started  in 
the  direction  of  the  dwelling. 

''Do  you  think  those  priests  are  French?" 
asked  Earl. 

"I  don't  know;  I  suppose  so  though." 

"Well  if  they  are  they'll  help  us,  won't  they?*' 

"They'd  probably  like  to  but  I  don't  know 
whether  they'd  dare  or  not." 

"The  Germans  would  do  something  to  them  if 
they  were  caught  aiding  us  in  any  way  I  sup- 
pose. ' ' 

"They  certainly  would,"  exclaimed  Leon. 

"Shoot  them?" 

"Probably.'* 

Jacques  and  the  priest  were  now  inside  the 
house  and  it  seemed  to  the  two  brothers  who 
waited  so  impatiently  that  they  were  gone  a  very 
long  time.  The  remaining  priest  stood  and  sadly 
watched  the  eager  flames  destroy  the  barn  as  if 
it  were  made  of  paper. 

At  length,  however,  the  door  of  the  house 
opened  once  more  and  Jacques  and  the  priest  re- 
appeared. 

"What  has  Jacques  under  his  arm?"  demanded 
Earl. 


204  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**I  can't  see,"  said  Leon. 

**It's  a  roll  of  wire,'*  cried  Earl  suddenly. 
**We'll  soon  be  off  now.'* 

**If  the  Germans  don't  reach  here  first  we 
will." 

** Don't  be  so  gloomy,"  Earl  protested.  **0f 
course  we'll  get  away." 

''It'll  be  dark  soon." 

"All  the  better.  They  won't  be  able  to  see  us 
in  the  dark." 

"And  we  won't  be  able  to  see  our  way." 

"You're  an  old  pessimist,"  exclaimed  Earl 
lightly.  "Good  boy,  Jacques,"  he  cried  as  the 
young  Frenchman  came  within  hearing.  ' '  I  knew 
you'd  fix  us  up  all  right." 

"We  must  hurry,"  panted  Jacques,  his  breath 
almost  gone  after  his  quick  trip  across  the  field. 
"We  haven't  much  time." 

"Can't  I  help?"  inquired  Earl  eagerly. 

"No,  thanks;  I  can  probably  work  faster 
alone. ' ' 

He  set  to  work  immediately  and  without  wast- 
ing a  moment  or  making  a  false  move  began 
the  work  of  repairing  the  weakened  support. 
Meanwhile  Earl  and  Leon  kept  a  sharp  lookout 
on  all  sides  for  any  sign  of  their  enemies. 


IN  THE  CLEARING  205 

**Who  were  those  priests?"  asked  Earl  finally. 

** Frenchmen,"  replied  Jacques  keeping  right 
on  with  his  work. 

"How  do  they  happen  to  be  living  here  inside 
the  German  lines?" 

**This  place  is  a  sort  of  monastery  or  home  and 
they  are  allowed  to  stay  here  for  some  reason. 
Every  day  one  or  the  other  of  them  has  to  report 
at  the  nearest  German  post  though;  that  is  five 
miles  away." 

**How  do  they  reach  it?"  inquired  Leon. 

"They  have  a  bicycle  they  use  in  good  weather 
and  in  bad  they  have  to  walk." 

"Is  there  a  good  road  through  the  forest?" 

"Fairly  so,  they  said." 

"That's  a  pretty  tough  job,  isn't  it?"  exclaimed 
Leon.  "Still  I  suppose  they'd  rather  do  that 
than  leave  their  home." 

Jacques  still  toiled  earnestly  at  his  task.  The 
sun  was  fading  in  the  west  and  the  shadows  of 
the  forest  trees  began  to  lengthen.  It  would  be 
dark  presently. 

"How  soon  can  we  start?"  asked  Leon  anx- 
iously. 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  Jacques.  "In  about 
ten  minutes,  I  hope." 


206  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

*^WelI  we've  been  lucky  so  far  not  to  have  been 
discovered/'  exclaimed  Earl.  *'I  hope  our  luck 
keeps  up.** 

''We've  been  discovered  all  right,"  said  Leon. 
"Don't  worry  about  that;  they  haven't  reached 
here  yet,  that's  all." 

''And  we  certainly  hope  they  won't,"  muttered 
Jacques  fervently. 

With  anxious  eyes  the  two  brothers  scanned  the 
forest  edges  all  around  the  clearing.  The  barn 
still  blazed  brightly,  though  now  but  one  wall  re- 
mained standing;  one  by  one  the  others  had  col- 
lapsed. 

Five  minutes  more  and  they  would  be  safe. 
Jacques  was  putting  the  finishing  touches  on  his 
work  and  was  almost  ready  to  start.  He  was  an 
excellent  and  speedy  workman  but  the  time  spent 
seemed  dreadfully  long  to  his  two  companions. 
They  stood  first  on  one  foot  and  then  on  the  other. 
Would  he  never  finish? 

"All  ready,"  cried  Jacques  at  last. 

"Can  we  get  in?"  demanded  Earl  eagerly. 

"Certainly.  Jump  aboard  and  I'll  join  you  in 
a  second,  just  as  soon  as  I  get  this  wire  out  of 
our  way." 

The  two  brothers  needed  no  second  invitation 


IN  THE  CLEAKING  207 

and  made  haste  to  do  as  Jacques  had  directed 
them.  Earl  was  just  about  to  climb  into  his  seat 
with  Leon  close  behind  him  when  there  was  a  rifle 
shot  and  a  bullet,  whistling  through  the  air,  passed 
close  above  their  heads. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

IN   THE   DARK 

*'ir      OOK   out!"    shouted   Jacques.    **Her© 
come  the  Germans!" 
**Jump  in!"  cried  Leon.    *'We  can 
get  away  before  they  reach  us." 

**No  chance,"  said  Jacques  positively.  **Get 
out  of  there  as  fast  as  you  can. ' ' 

More  bullets  followed  the  first,  until  the  air 
seemed  alive  with  them.  A  small  detachment  of 
German  cavalry  now  appeared  from  the  shelter  of 
the  forest  and  began  to  gallop  swiftly  across  the 
field.  As  they  approached  they  shouted  and  fired 
their  revolvers  rapidly. 

**They  think  we'll  surrender,"  exclaimed  Leon. 
*'We'll  fool  them." 

He  and  Earl  quickly  scrambled  out  from  the 
monoplane  and  in  company  with  Jacques  rushed 
around  behind  it.  All  three  of  the  boys  held 
drawn  revolvers  in  their  hands. 

**Let  'em  have  it!"  cried  Leon  and  the  three 

208 


IN  THE  DARK  209 

automatic  guns  spoke  almost  as  if  they  were  one 
piece. 

One  of  the  Germans  reeled  slightly  in  his  saddle 
and  sliding  from  his  seat  fell  to  the  ground  in  a 
limp  heap.  One  of  the  horses  also  went  down, 
hurling  his  rider  violently  over  his  head.  A 
shout  of  rage  came  from  the  astonished  horsemen 
who  had  not  dreamed  of  resistance.  There  were 
eight  in  their  party,  while  the  stranded  aviators 
numbered  but  three. 

"Two  of  them  gone,"  cried  Jacques.  *'See  ii 
we  can't  wing  two  more  and  then  we'll  have  to 
run  for  it." 

**Make  it  sure,"  exclaimed  Leon  and  again 
came  the  sharp  bark  of  the  three  automatics. 
Down  went  another  horse  and  another  rider  was 
thrown  violently  to  the  ground.  Again  the  three 
revolvers  spoke.  The  leader  of  the  little  band  of 
horsemen  slid  limply  from  his  seat. 

The  Germans  were  scarcely  fifty  yards  distant 
now.  They  pumped  a  continual  stream  of  bullets 
at  the  three  daring  youths  who  were  taking  refuge 
behind  the  monoplane,  but  so  far  their  aim  was 
wild. 

*'Now  for  the  woods,"  cried  Jacques  and  he 
turned  and  ran  at  top  speed  for  the  shelter  of  the 


210  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

forest  which  was  not  more  than  thirty  feet  away 
from  the  spot  where  they  had  been  standing. 
Close  at  his  heels  followed  Leon  and  Earl.  It  was 
now  almost  dark,  but  a  hail  of  bullets  swarmed 
after  the  three  retreating  figures. 

Suddenly  Jacques  went  down.  He  pitched 
headlong  upon  his  face  and  with  a  gasp  of  fear 
the  two  brothers  bent  over  him.  If  Jacques 
were  lost  to  them  their  case  was  indeed  desper- 
ate. 

''Where  are  you  hit?"  demanded  Leon  breath- 
lessly. 

''I'm  not  hit;  I  stumbled  over  that  furrow." 

He  scrambled  quickly  to  his  feet  and  hurried 
on.  A  moment  later  and  the  three  boys  gained 
the  shelter  of  the  forest  and  plunged  into  it.  A 
few  scattering  shots  followed  them  and  then  all 
was  still.  It  was  now  too  dark  to  shoot  with  any 
good  chance  of  success. 

"Wait  here,"  panted  Jacques  drawing  his  two 
companions  down  behind  a  clump  of  bushes. 
Guns  in  hand  the  three  young  soldiers  crouched 
and  peered  eagerly  back  over  the  course  they  had 
come. 

"Do  you  think  they'll  follow  us  in  here?"  de- 
manded Earl  in  a  whisper. 


IN  THE  DARK  211 

**I  doubt  it,**  replied  Jacques.  **Tiiere  are 
only  four  of  them  now  you  know." 

*'Only  two  of  them  were  hit,"  objected  Leon. 
**I  don't  believe  that  those  two  who  were  thrown 
from  their  horses  were  hurt." 

**Not  badly  perhaps,"  agreed  Jacques.  *'They 
got  an  awful  jolt  just  the  same.  At  any  rate  it's 
only  six  to  three  now." 

**What  do  you  think  they'll  do?"  asked  Earl. 

**I  wish  I  knew." 

** Can't  we  crawl  up  to  the  edge  of  the  woods 
and  look  at  them?" 

*  *  That  would  be  pretty  risky. ' ' 

"But  we  want  our  monoplane  back  again." 

**  Isn't  there  a  full  moon  to-night  I"  exclaimed 
Leon  suddenly. 

**I  believe  there  is,"  said  Jacques.  **Why  do 
you  ask?" 

"Just  as  soon  as  the  moon  comes  up  we  can 
sneak  up  to  the  border  of  the  forest  and  every- 
thing in  the  clearing  will  be  lighted  up;  we  will 
hide  in  the  shadow  of  the  trees  and  can  pick  off 
the  Boches  at  our  leisure.  Isn't  that  a  good 
scheme  ? ' ' 

"Fine,"  said  Jacques,  "all  except  for  one 
thing." 


212  FIGHTING  IN  FEANCE 

•    * '  What 's  that  1 ' '  demanded  Leon. 

**You  don't  think  the  Germans  are  going  to  sit 
out  there  all  this  time,  do  you?  Undoubtedly  they 
have  sent  for  help  already." 

"Then,"  exclaimed  Leon,  "our  chance  is  to  at- 
tack them  at  once.  There  can't  be  more  than  five 
of  them  at  the  most  left  now. ' ' 

"That's  right,"  cried  Earl  eagerly.  "It's  cur 
only  chance  and  we  must  be  quick  about  it  too. ' ' 

"Don't  you  think  so,  Jacques?"  insisted  Leon. 
"Come  along." 

"It's  an  awful  chance,"  mused  Jacques. 

"I  know,"  exclaimed  Leon,  "but  it's  our  only 
one.  You  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  if  we  don't 
get  away  before  their  reenf  orcements  arrive  we  're 
done  for.  Why,  after  we've  killed  a  couple  of 
their  men  they'll  spend  a  year  if  necessary  to 
hunt  us  out." 

"That's  true,"  Jacques  agreed.  "I  guess 
you're  right;  we'd  better  try  it  now." 

Crouching  low  and  making  as  little  sound  as 
possible  the  three  young  soldiers  crept  forward. 
Jacques  led  the  way,  with  Leon  and  Earl  close 
behind  him.  Every  boy  held  his  pistol  gripped 
tightly  in  his  right  hand.  Night  had  now  fallen 
and  pitchy  darkness  had  taken  possession  of  the 
forest. 


IN  THE  DAEK  213 

The  clearing  was  but  a  short  distance  away 
and  presently  Jacques  stopped.  All  three  of  the" 
boys  stood  still  and  listened  intently  for  some 
moments.  Not  a  sound  came  to  their  ears  and  in 
a  brief  time  the  advance  was  continued. 

Slowly  and  carefully  they  picked  their  way. 
They  practically  felt  out  every  step  before  they 
took  it;  the  snap  of  a  dried  twig  or  stick  might 
spell  their  doom.  A  few  moments  later  Jacques 
spied  the  open  sky  through  a  vault  in  the  tree- 
tops;  they  were  almost  upon  the  clearing  and 
again  the  little  band  halted. 

**We'd  better  separate,*'  he  whispered.  **Fire 
the  moment  I  do. ' ' 

They  dropped  to  their  hands  and  knees  and 
again  the  stealthy  advance  was  resumed.  Every 
boy  selected  a  large  tree  behind  which  to  take  his 
position.  The  white  wings  of  the  monoplane  glis- 
tened and  a  clump  of  dark  figures  could  be  seen 
nearby.  Whether  they  were  horses  or  men  it  was 
impossible  to  distinguish. 

Suddenly,  above  the  rim  of  the  forest  appeared 
the  moon.  It  had  appeared  much  sooner  than  the 
young  soldiers  had  expected,  or  was  it  that  they 
had  consumed  more  time  than  they  had  realized? 
If  the  latter  was  the  case  they  had  need  of  haste. 


214  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

Leon  and  Earl  waited  impatiently  for  Jacques  to 
open  fire  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  he  did  not  know 
at  what  to  aim.  Killing  the  horses  would  do  no 
good  and  the  flash  of  the  revolver  shots  would 
only  serve  to  disclose  their  positions  to  the  Ger- 
mans. 

Higher  and  higher  rose  the  moon.  It  was  soon 
half  above  the  tops  of  the  trees  and  the  whole 
clearing  began  to  be  suffused  with  its  soft  light. 
The  monoplane  could  be  distinctly  seen  now 
and  the  dark  clump  proved  to  be  horses  as  the 
boys  had  surmised.  "Where  were  the  Germans! 
Surely  they  would  not  go  away  and  leave  their 
mounts. 

All  at  once  something  moved  near  one  end  of 
the  monoplane.  Instantly  there  was  a  sharp  re- 
port ;  Jacques  had  found  his  target.  Four  flashes 
in  rapid  succession  disclosed  the  location  of  the 
remaining  Germans.  Leon  and  Earl  immediately 
opened  fire.  Another  shot  from  the  position 
Jacques  had  selected  showed  that  so  far  he  had 
been  untouched. 

The  fight  became  general  and  the  firing  in- 
creased. The  three  young  soldiers  of  France  had 
a  distinct  advantage  over  their  enemies,  however. 
The  moment  the  Germans  had  fired  they  had  re- 


IN  THE  DARK  215 

vealed  their  locations  and  now  it  was  possible  to 
make  out  the  forms  of  the  Teuton  horsemen  in 
the  moonlight ;  the  three  boys  were  hidden  in  the 
shadow  of  the  woods. 

The  bullets  rained  about  them,  cutting  through 
the  branches  of  the  trees  and  rattling  through  the 
bushes.  As  quickly  as  they  fired,  however,  the 
boys  shifted  their  positions  and  the  Germans  hav- 
ing nothing  to  guide  their  aim  save  the  flash  of 
the  pistols,  were  unable  to  locate  their  ad- 
versaries. 

The  frightened  horses  snorted  and  jumped  at 
every  shot ;  they  tugged  violently  at  their  tethers 
and  danced  madly  about.  The  moon,  now  risen 
completely  above  the  crest  of  the  forest,  shone 
down  upon  a  strange  scene.  The  great  aeroplane 
still  stood  silently  by,  a  mute  witness  to  the  des- 
perate struggle  waged  for  its  possession.  Three 
dark  forms  lying  nearby  showed  how  effective  the 
boys'  fire  had  been.  Only  two  Germans  seemed 
to  be  left  to  dispute  their  escape. 

** Charge  them,  Jacques!  Come  on,  Earl!" 
shouted  Leon  and  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  dashed 
forward. 

The  two  remaining  Germans  had  taken  refuge 
behind  the  protection  of  the  monoplane  and  to- 


216  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

ward  this  spot  Leon  rushed.  A  shot  struck  his 
steel  helmet  a  glancing  blow  and  he  stumbled;  a 
moment  later  he  had  regained  his  balance,  how- 
ever, and  pushed  on.  Coming  around  the  wing 
of  the  flying  machine  he  stood  face  to  face  with 
one  of  the  Germans ;  there  was  a  flash  and  he  felt 
a  burning  sensation  through  the  muscles  of  his 
left  arm.  He  discharged  his  pistol  point  blank 
at  his  enemy. 

Suddenly  he  was  seized  violently  from  behind. 
Powerful  fingers  closed  about  his  throat,  shutting 
off  his  wind.  Gasping,  choking  and  fighting  des- 
perately he  was  borne  to  the  ground. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE   RETUBN 

LEON  opened  his  eyes.  He  had  an  indis- 
tinct remembrance  of  the  fight  but  that 
was  all.  His  last  recollection  had  been 
of  shouts  and  shots  and  a  violent  struggle  for 
breath. 

Where  was  he?  There  was  a  great  roaring  in 
his  ears  and  a  sense  of  confusion  all  about  him. 
Perhaps  he  was  in  the  trenches  again  and  the  roar 
he  heard  was  the  drum-fire  of  the  Germans.  Un- 
doubtedly the  Boches  were  attacking  and  they 
must  be  repulsed  at  all  costs.  He  struggled  to 
get  up.  His  head  ached  painfully  and  a  sharp 
twinge  in  his  left  arm  caused  him  to  utter  a  slight 
groan. 

It  was  dark  all  around  him  and  he  could  not 
see  distinctly.  The  roaring  continued  and  he 
stretched  out  his  hand.  He  felt  something 
smootli;  probably  it  was  the  barricade  in  the  front 
of  the  trench.  AVhere  was  his  gun?  If  he  only 
had  a   hand-grenade :   the   Germans   would  pay 

217 


218  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

dearly  for  any  advance  in  that  position.  Again 
lie  tried  to  struggle  to  his  feet  and  he  heard  above 
the  roar  a  familiar  voice  speaking  in  his  ear. 

*'How  do  you  feel,  Leon?"  inquired  Earl. 

* 'Where  are  weT* 

**We're  on  our  way  home.'* 

**To  America?" 

**No,  to  the  doiizieme.  We'll  be  there  before 
long." 

**Ho"W  are  we  going?"  demanded  Leon  greatly 
puzzled.  He  was  having  a  hard  time  understand- 
ing what  was  taking  place.  His  brain  was  still 
stunned  and  worked  slowly. 

"We're  in  the  monoplane,"  explained  Earl. 

** Where's  Jacques?" 

*  *  He 's  right  here. ' ' 

**But  the  Germans?" 

** Those  that  attacked  us  aren't  going  to  bother 
us  any  more.  Don't  let  the  thought  of  them 
worry  you." 

**But  I  don't  understand,"  Leon  persisted. 
*'What  happened?" 

*'When  we  rushed  out  from  the  woods,"  said 
Earl,  **we  thought  there  were  only  two  of  the 
Germans  left.  You  accounted  for  one  of  them 
yourself  when  you  came  around  in  back  of  the 


THE  KETUEN  219 

machine  there.  The  other  one  Jacques  took  care 
of.  We  thought  we  had  killed  three  of  them  be- 
fore we  charged,  but  one  of  those  three  was 
'playing  possum.'  As  soon  as  we  passed  the  spot 
where  he  was  lying  he  jumped  up  and  grabbed 
you  around  the  neck.  It  was  a  pretty  clever  trick 
on  his  part  and  he  was  a  powerful  fellow  too;  I 
thought  you  were  done  for  for  a  while  there." 

**So  did  I,"  agreed  Leon;  ruefully  passing  his 
hand  over  his  sore  and  bruised  throat.  *'Tell  me 
though;  how  did  you  pry  him  off?" 

**Well  we  had  a  terrible  time.  Jacques  finally 
cracked  him  over  the  head  with  the  butt  of  his 
revolver;  that  finished  old  Mr.  Boche." 

**Did  it  kill  him?" 

**No,"  exclaimed  Earl,  '*it  merely  stunned  him. 
That  was  enough  for  us  though  and  we  got  away 
as  fast  as  we  could." 

'*How  did  you  manage  it?" 

**Why  we  just  dumped  you  into  the  monoplane 
here  and  then  got  aboard  ourselves  and  off  we 
went. ' ' 

"Before  the  reenforcements  arrived  I  sup- 
pose?" 

"Just  before.  As  we  left  the  ground  and  began 
to  rise  a  whole  troop  of  cavalry  came  racing  into 


220  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

the  clearing.  They  fired  at  us  all  right  but  they 
didn't  touch  us  and  here  we  are." 

**It  seems  queer  to  me,"  said  Leon,  ''that  the 
Germans  didn't  do  something  to  disable  the  en- 
gine or  some  part  of  the  machine  so  we  couldn't 
use  it  again." 

"That's  what  I  told  Jacques,"  exclaimed  Earl, 
"but  he  said  they  probably  thought  we  wouldn't 
give  them  any  more  trouble  and  that  they  had  cap- 
tured a  perfectly  good  monoplane  and  could  use 
it  themselves." 

"Not  with  this  paint  on  it." 

"No,  but  it  wouldn't  take  much  trouble  to  put 
the  distinguishing  mark  of  the  German  machines 
on  it." 

"I  guess  we  got  after  them  just  in  time,"  said 
Leon  gleefully. 

"We  surely  did,"  agreed  Earl.  "We've  been 
pretty  lucky  so  far. ' ' 

"How  do  you  feel,  Leon!"  inquired  Jacques 
from  the  driver's  seat. 

"Only  fair,"  admitted  Leon.  "My  head 
buzzes  some." 

"You've  got  a  bullet  wound  in  your  left  arm 
too,"  said  Earl. 

"I  know  it.    It  stings  a  little  but  it  isn't  bad." 


THE  RETURN  221 

**I  guess  not,"  said  Earl.  **As  soon  as  we  get 
back  you  can  have  it  attended  to  and  it'll  soon 
heal." 

**Yes,"  agreed  Leon.  "I  want  it  cleaned  for 
I  can  tell  you  I  have  no  desire  to  get  blood  poison- 
ing." 

**No  danger  of  that  if  you  have  it  looked  after 
soon  enough." 

**I  suppose  they  think  we're  lost  back  at  head- 
quarters," said  Leon. 

*'I  wonder  if  they  do,"  mused  Earl.  ** We've 
been  away  quite  a  while,  haven't  we!" 

"It  seems  like  months  to  me." 

**The  moon  has  set." 

**Has  it?  I  can't  see  anything  from  here. 
How  about  helping  me  back  into  my  seat?" 

With  a  great  deal  of  effort  and  not  without 
some  pain  and  a  few  groans  on  the  part  of  the 
battered  young  soldier  he  finally  was  able,  with 
his  brother's  help,  to  resume  his  proper  place. 
The  night  wind  blowing  full  in  his  face  was  most 
refreshing  and  served  to  clear  his  head  and  re- 
vive his  tired  brain. 

"Are  we  still  behind  the  German  lines?"  he  in- 
quired. 

**Leon  wants  to  know  if  we  are  still  behind 


222  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

the   German   lines,"   Earl   shouted  to   Jacques. 

''We  are,"  said  Jacques,  ''and  if  you'll  look 
down  below  you'll  see  something  interesting.  Up 
ahead  there." 

Both  brothers  peered  eagerly  down  through  the 
darkness  and  in  the  direction  Jacques  had  indi- 
cated. At  first  they  saw  nothing,  not  even  a  light 
of  any  sort,  but  after  a  moment  they  discovered 
what  it  was  that  their  pilot  had  in  mind. 

Far  below  and  some  distance  in  front  of  them 
they  saw  something  that  at  first  they  were  unable 
to  understand.  Every  moment  or  so  a  spark  or 
a  shower  of  sparks  shot  into  the  air  and  then 
quickly  faded. 

"What  is  it?"  demanded  Leon. 

"Rockets,  I  guess,"  said  Earl. 

"What  is  it,  Jacques?"  inquired  Leon. 

"A  train." 

"A  German  train?" 

"Yes.  Can 't  you  see  the  sparks  from  the  smoke 
stack?" 

"I  couldn't  make  out  what  it  is." 

"It's  a  train  all  right  and  it  is  undoubtedly 
carrying  either  troops  or  ammunition." 

"To  be  used  against  our  men?"  exclaimed  Earl. 
"If  we  could  only  stop  it." 


THE  EETURN  223 

**We  can  and  we  will." 

"But  how?" 

** Haven't  we  bombs  with  us?" 

Lower  and  lower  Jacques  guided  the  speeding 
monoplane.  Nearer  and  ever  nearer  they  ap- 
proached to  the  fast  rushing  train  beneath  them. 
It  was  directly  ahead  of  them  now  and  the  young 
French  pilot  dogged  its  course  closely. 

**Get  your  bombs  ready  and  make  'em  sure,"  he 
directed.  **I'm  going  down  pretty  low  and  we 
won't  be  able  to  waste  any  time." 

Underneath,  the  dark  outline  of  the  train  could 
be  faintly  seen  as  it  glided  along  its  steel  track 
bringing  its  load  of  human  or  mechanical  food  to 
the  hungry  battle-line.  Swiftly  but  with  great 
care  the  two  brothers  made  ready  the  deadly  mis- 
siles with  which  they  hoped  to  foil  the  plans  of 
their  enemies  below. 


Y 


CHAPTER  XXV 

BACK   AGAIN 

*'"^    "^ELL  when  you  want  us  to  drop  the 
bombs,  Jacques,"  said  Leon. 
''All  right." 

"That's  the  best  plan  I  think,"  said  Leon  to 
his  brother.  "Jacques  can  see  better  than  we  can 
and  is  able  to  tell  just  when  we  ought  to  let  them 
go." 

"If  we  could  only  blow  up  that  train,"  ex- 
claimed Earl  eagerly. 

"Perhaps  we  can." 

The  train  was  only  a  short  distance  in  front  of 
them  now  and  the  monoplane  was  much  nearer  the 
ground  than  it  had  been  previously. 

"Get  ready,"  warned  Jacques. 

"Whenever  you  say,"  returned  Leon  heartily. 

There  was  a  moment  of  tense  silence,  with  every 
boy's  nerves  set  in  preparation  for  their  deed. 
Every  sense  was  alert. 

"Let  'em  go!"  cried  Jacques. 

224 


BACK  AGAIN  225 

Instantly  the  two  bombs  were  released.  Silently 
they  sped  down  through  the  darkness  on  their  mis- 
sion of  death  and  destruction. 

**Two  more  now,"  shouted  Jacques  sharply  and 
the  brothers  hastened  to  obey. 

Suddenly  the  sound  of  a  violent  explosion  came 
to  their  ears  from  below  and  the  daring  young 
aviators  peered  down  to  see  if  they  could  discover 
the  results  of  their  efforts. 

*'Look  at  that!"  cried  Leon  excitedly. 

"I  should  say  so!"  shouted  Earl.  **A  perfect 
hit!" 

One  at  least  of  the  four  missiles  dispatched  had 
gone  straight  to  its  mark  and  had  evidently  struck 
directly  in  front  of  the  locomotive.  A  great  mass 
of  sparks  shot  skyward  and  lighted  up  an  appal- 
ling scene  of  destruction. 

The  engine  had  been  derailed  and  had  over- 
turned. The  remaining  cars  had  piled  up  one  on 
top  of  the  other  until  the  whole  train  lay  in  a 
tangled  mass  of  wreckage  alongside  the  track. 
The  bombs  had  done  their  work  to  perfec- 
tion. 

"Now  for  home,"  cried  Jacques,  immediately 
directing  the  course  of  the  monoplane  higher  and 
higher  from  the  earth. 


226  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

*'Yes,  I  think  we've  done  a  night's  work  all 
right,"  said  Leon. 

**That  bomb  certainly  landed  in  the  right  spot," 
exclaimed  Earl  warmly. 

**  What  was  on  that  train?"  asked  Leon. 

* '  Munitions, ' '  said  Jacques  quickly.  * '  Listen  to 
that." 

From  below  came  the  sound  of  heavy  explosions 
and  the  flash  of  bursting  shells  could  be  distinctly 
seen. 

**Is  that  the  train?"  demanded  Earl  in  amaze- 
ment. 

*'It  certainly  is,"  exclaimed  Jacques.  **I  guess 
the  most  of  the  shells  on  that  train  will  never  do 
the  Allies  much  harm." 

Under  the  bright  starlit  sky  the  giant  mono- 
plane winged  its  way  back  to  its  hangar.  Un- 
erringly the  skillful  young  pilot  guided  the  great 
flier;  never  for  a  moment  did  he  appear  to  be  at 
a  loss  as  to  what  course  to  pursue.  He  flew  at  a 
great  height,  and  though  an  occasional  shot  was 
directed  at  the  phantom  machine  so  high  above 
their  heads,  the  Germans  were  unable  to  do  it  any 
damage. 

Finally  they  crossed  the  battle-line.  Appar- 
ently a  night  attack  was  in  progress  and  the  path 


BACK  AGAIN  227 

of  the  trenches  could  be  followed  from  the  flame 
of  bursting  projectiles. 

**  Think  what  those  fellows  down  below  are 
going  through  now,"  exclaimed  Earl  feelingly. 

**I  don't  envy  them,"  said  Leon. 

**Nor  I,"  agreed  Jacques.  "We've  all  been 
through  that  though  and  I  suppose  we  will  soon 
again." 

''Perhaps  to-morrow  even,"  exclaimed  Earl. 
**I  wonder  where  the  douzieme  is  now." 

** Probably  in  the  thick  of  that  fight,"  said  Leon. 

**They  are  if  they  have  anything  to  say  about 
it,"  agreed  Jacques  warmly. 

*'What  a  crowd  they  are,"  exclaimed  Earl. 

** Think  how  many  are  gone,"  Jacques  reminded 
him. 

''And  how  many  are  going  to  go  too,"  added 
Leon. 

"Perhaps  we  three  right  here,"  said  Earl 
soberly. 

' '  Perhaps  so, ' '  agreed  Jacques.  '  *  For  me  there 
could  be  no  finer  death  though  than  to  die  with 
my  face  to  the  enemy ;  to  die  for  my  country,  fight- 
ing for  France." 

"Let's  hope  you  may  live  for  ^^^rance,"  said 
Leon. 


228  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

**She  has  lost  so  many  of  her  young  men,"  said 
Earl.  "She  needs  all  she  has  and  she'll  need 
them  after  the  war  too." 

** That's  true,'*  agreed  Jacques.  **Have  you 
noticed  lately  that  the  regiments  are  made  up  of 
older  men  than  they  were  before?  The  soldiers 
now  are  mostly  between  thirty  and  forty,  where 
they  used  to  be  between  twenty  and  thirty." 

**The  young  armies  are  gone,"  said  Earl. 
**  Armies  of  little  wooden  crosses  everywhere 
along  the  battle-line  show  where  they  have  gone, 
too.'» 

"We^re  going  down  now,"  announced  Jacques 
suddenly.    "That  is  our  hangar  below  there." 

* '  How  can  you  see  ? ' '  demanded  Leon.  *  *  I  never 
can  see  anything  at  night." 

"I  have  always  been  very  good  in  the  dark," 
said  Jacques.    "Here  we  go." 

Down,  down,  down  the  big  battle-plane  sped. 
Describing  great  circles  it  soared  nearer  and 
nearer  to  its  resting  place  until  at  length  it 
alighted  gently  on  the  aviation  field  and  running 
along  the  smooth  ground  for  a  few  yards  came  to 
a  full  stop. 

"Well  done,  Jacques,"  exclaimed  Earl  warmly. 
**You're  a  wonder." 


BACK  AGAIN  229 

**And  I'm  stiff  and  cold,"  added  Jacques. 

**And  so  am  I,"  echoed  Leon. 

*'You're  wounded,"  said  Earl. 

** Scratched  you  mean,"  Leon  corrected  him. 

**At  any  rate  you  must  be  attended  to  at  once." 

*'We  must  make  our  report  first,"  said  Leon. 
** Isn't  that  right,  Jacques?" 

*'It  is,  but  I  don't  think  it  is  necessary  for  you 
to  be  there." 

*'But  I  want  tobe." 

*'A11  right  then,  we'll  all  go  together." 

"Major  Villier  won't  be  awake  at  this  time  of 
night  I'm  afraid,"  said  Earl  doubtfully. 

*'0h,  yes,  he  will,"  said  Jacques.  ''He'll  be 
just  as  anxious  for  our  report  as  we  are  to  give 
it." 

As  soon  as  the  aeroplane  had  alighted  on  the 
field  several  soldiers  had  come  running  out  from 
their  quarters  and  the  young  aviators  now  turned 
the  machine  over  to  them. 

*'We  have  a  man  here  who  is  slightly  wounded," 
remarked  Jacques  to  one  of  the  men.  *'Is  there 
any  one  around  here  now  who  can  look  after 
him!" 

"Right  this  way,"  spoke  up  a  soldier  quickly. 
"I  will  care  for  him." 


230  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

With  diflBculty  Leon  stepped  from  the  mono- 
plane. The  experiences  of  the  past  day  had  been 
hard  and  wearing;  he  had  lost  more  blood  than 
he  had  realized,  slight  as  was  his  wound;  then  too 
the  mauling  he  had  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
big  German  had  jarred  him  greatly.  He  was 
dizzy  as  he  stepped  out  upon  the  solid  ground 
again  and  he  reeled  slightly.  His  soldier  friend 
immediately  sprang  to  his  assistance. 

**I'm  all  right,"  Leon  maintained  stoutly.  **I 
don't  know  what  made  me  stumble ;  I  guess  I  must 
be  stiff." 

*  *  You  're  weak,  Leon, ' '  said  his  brother.  *  *  What 
you  need  is  rest." 

*'I  guess  that's  so;  a  little  sleep  and  I'll  be  all 
right  again." 

*'Come  with  me,"  urged  the  soldier.  '^I  will 
fix  your  wound." 

*'You  won't  report  without  me,  will  you?" 
asked  Leon  eagerly  of  Jacques  and  Earl  as  he  was 
led  away. 

''We'll  stop  for  you  surely,"  said  Jacques. 
** Hurry  along  now." 

A  short  time  later  Leon  was  seated  beside  a 
table  in  one  of  the  nearby  houses.  He  had  re- 
moved his  coat  and  blouse  and  was  down  to  his 


BACK  AGAIN  231 

undershirt.  His  wounded  arm  was  stretched  out 
upon  the  top  of  the  table  and  by  the  light  of  a  lamp 
the  kind-hearted  soldier  worked  over  it. 

First  the  wound,  which  proved  to  be  a  deep  flesh 
cut,  was  carefully  bathed  and  cleansed.  Next  a 
powerful  antiseptic  was  applied  and  then  fresh 
white  bandages  were  bound  around  the  injured 
spot.  Although  Leon  protested  vigorously  the 
soldier  also  insisted  upon  making  a  sling  in  which 
the  young  soldier  should  carry  his  arm. 

**That  certainly  feels  better,"  sighed  Leon.  **I 
am  very  much  obliged  to  you." 

''It  is  nothing,"  exclaimed  the  soldier  with  a 
shrug  of  his  shoulders. 

**It  is  a  great  deal  to  me,"  said  Leon.  "I  won- 
der where  the  others  are." 

**You  had  better  sit  down,"  said  the  soldier  as 
Leon  tried  to  rise  from  his  seat.  **You  are  tired 
and  your  two  comrades  said  they  would  call  for 
you. '  * 

"I  know  it,"  exclaimed  Leon.  **I'm  all  right 
though,"  and  he  rose  to  his  feet.  Immediately, 
however,  everything  turned  black  before  his  eyes 
and  he  lost  consciousness. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  BIG   WAR 

THE  next  thing  that  Leon  knew  was  when 
he  opened  his  eyes  to  find  himself  lying  in 
a  clean  white  cot  with  both  Jacques  and 
Earl  standing  by  the  bedside. 

*'What  happened?"  inquired  Leon  dazedly. 

** Nothing,"  laughed  Earl,  *' except  that  you've 
been  asleep  for  about  fifteen  hours  or  so." 

**How  about  our  report?" 

**That  was  made  just  about  fifteen  hours  ago; 
just  after  you  went  to  sleep." 

*  *  But  you  said  you  'd  stop  for  me. ' ' 

"We  did,"  smiled  Earl.  **We  stopped  for  you 
all  right,  but  you'd  gone  and  fainted  and  then  you 
went  to  sleep  and  we  thought  we'd  better  not 
wait." 

"Did  you  make  your  report?"  asked  Leon 
eagerly.  He  was  now  sitting  up  in  bed  and  had  al- 
most forgotten  his  slightly  wounded  arm;  in  fact 
he  would  have  been  entirely  unconscious  of  it  had 
it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  it  was  bandaged. 

232 


THE  BIG  WAR  233 

"We  certainly  did,"  said  Jacques.  ** Major 
Villier  seemed  very  much  pleased  with  what  we 
had  done  and  he  said  he  would  see  to  it  that  we 
were  mentioned  at  headquarters." 

*'Were  they  worried  about  us  at  all?" 

*  *  They  were  a  little ;  they  had  expected  us  back 
sooner  than  we  actually  did  arrive." 

"What  did  the  major  think  of  our  blowing  up 
that  train?" 

"It  seemed  to  please  him  greatly,"  said  Jacques. 
"In  fact  he  was  almost  as  pleased  about  that  as 
he  was  about  our  having  delivered  the  dispatches 
safely  at  Flambeau." 

"I  should  think  he'd  been  more  glad  about  the 
train  than  the  dispatches,"  exclaimed  Leon. 

"We  don't  know  what  they  were,"  Jacques  re- 
minded him.  "Evidently  they  were  even  more 
important  than  blowing  up  a  munition-train." 

"At  any  rate  I'm  glad  Major  Villier  approved 
of  what  we  did. ' ' 

"He  said  we  got  into  too  many  scrapes," 
laughed  Earl.  * '  He  said  that  unless  we  were  care- 
ful we  might  get  hurt." 

"He  was  joking,  wasn't  he?" 

"Of  course  he  was;  as  though  we  went  around 
looking  for  trouble." 


234  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

"I  want  to  get  up,"  exclaimed  Leon  suddenly. 
*  *  I  want  something  to  eat,  too,  and  I  want  it  quick 
and  I  want  an  awful  lot  of  it. ' ' 

"Whew!"  whistled  Jacques  smilingly.  **You 
must  be  feeling  better." 

*'I  never  felt  so  well  in  my  life,"  cried  Leon. 
**I  feel  like  a  king." 

"Well,  I  wouldn't  care  to  feel  that  way," 
laughed  Earl.  "As  far  as  I  can  see  there  aren't 
very  many  kings  who  are  very  well  off  these 
days.'* 

"Well,  then  I  feel  the  way  kings  used  to  feel," 
said  Leon.  "Have  it  any  way  you  want,  but  give 
me  something  to  eat.'* 

"How  would  you  like  to  go  automobiling  after 
you  eat?"  inquired  Jacques.  "Earl  and  I  are 
going." 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"I've  got  to  run  an  ambulance  up  to  the  front 
and  we  are  to  start  in  about  fifteen  minutes.  I 
need  two  helpers  and  if  you  feel  strong  enough 
you  may  come  along." 

"Of  course  I'll  go,"  exclaimed  Leon.  "Wliat 
are  they  doing  with  you  anyway,  Jacques? 
It  seems  to  me  you  have  a  new  job  about  every 
day." 


THE  BIG  WAR  235 

**He's  general  utility  man,"  laughed  Earl,  **and 
we're  his  assistants." 

**It  looks  so,"  Leon  agreed.  **At  any  rate  I 
don't  mind  it.    I'm  rather  fond  of  variety." 

"Did  you  hear  about  the  douzieme?"  asked 
Jacques. 

**TeU  me  what  has  happened  to  them,"  de- 
manded Leon  quickly.     "Where  are  they!" 

"There  are  not  many  of  them  left,"  said 
Jacques  soberly.  "Do  you  remember  that  bom- 
bardment we  saw  as  we  flew  over  the  firing  line 
last  night?" 

"I  do.  I  remember  we  wondered  if  our  regi- 
ment was  in  it." 

"Well  they  were  all  right,"  said  Jacques. 
"They  bore  the  brunt  of  the  whole  attack  and  if  it 
hadn't  been  for  them  I  don't  know  what  would 
have  happened." 

"Tell  me  about  it,"  urged  Leon  eagerly. 

"The  Boches  launched  a  terrible  bombardment 
on  that  portion  of  the  line  held  by  the  douzieme," 
continued  Jacques.  *  *  Then  they  turned  loose  one 
of  those  massed  infantry  attacks  on  our  trenches 
and  though  the  douzieme  was  outnumbered  nearly 
four  to  one  they  held  fast.  Not  without  paying 
the  price  though  and  half  of  our  comrades  were 


236  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

either  killed  or  wounded  so  that  they  are  out 
of  it." 

''Did  the  Germans  take  the  trench?" 

''They  reached  it  at  some  points  and  even  en- 
tered it ;  just  as  things  looked  blackest,  reenf orce- 
ments  arrived  and  drove  them  out  and  saved  the 
trench. ' ' 

"Good!"  cried  Leon  heartily.  "It  must  have 
been  splendid ! ' ' 

"More  bloody  than  splendid  I  guess,"  said  Earl 
grimly.  "I  think  we  were  pretty  lucky  to  have 
missed  it." 

"So  do  I,"  agreed  Jacques.  "Still  I  hate  to  be 
absent  when  the  rest  of  our  regiment  is  fighting. ' ' 

' ' "Weren't  you  fighting  all  that  time  ? ' '  demanded 
Earl. 

"Oh,  yes,  but  somehow  I  feel  so  much  safer  up 
in  the  air  than  I  do  in  the  trenches. ' ' 

"There  aren't  many  safe  spots  left  in  Europe 
now  anyway,  I  guess,"  remarked  Earl. 

' '  Nor  any  other  place  in  the  world,  for  that  mat- 
ter," added  Leon.  "Just  stop  a  minute  and  think 
where  there  have  been  battles  fought  in  this  war." 

"Pretty  nearly  every  place  you  can  think  of," 
said  Earl. 

"I  know  it;  in  France,  Germany,  Belgium,  Eus- 


THE  BIG  WAR  2S7 

sia,  Austria,  Italy,  Serbia,  Greece,  Turkey,  Bul- 
garia, China — " 

''What  was  in  China?"  demanded  Earl. 

''Kiao  Chau.  Don't  you  know  that  port  the 
Japanese  and  English  took  from  the  Germans!'* 

"That's  right.  Then  there  is  or  has  been  fight- 
ing in  Armenia,  Persia,  Mesopotamia,  Africa, 
the  Marshall  Islands  and  all  those  islands  down 
around  Australia;  Zeppelins  have  raided  Eng- 
land." 

*'Yes,"  exclaimed  Leon,  ''and  sea  fights  in  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific,  the  Mediterranean,  in  the 
North  Sea  and  the  Baltic,  the  Indian  Ocean  and  the 
Carribean  Sea  and  I  don't  know  where  else." 

"It's  awful,  isn't  it  I"  said  Earl.  "And  right 
at  home  in  America  the  Germans  have  been  blow- 
ing up  factories  that  were  making  arms  for  the 
Allies ;  they've  also  been  putting  bombs  on  ships." 

"Why  doesn't  your  country  stop  that?"  asked 
Jacques. 

' '  Don 't  ask  me, ' '  exclaimed  Earl.  * '  I  wish  they 
would;  if  they'd  deal  with  some  of  those  plotters 
the  way  any  European  government  would,  I  think 
all  that  trouble  would!  end.  We're  too  good  to 
people  in  the  United  States." 

"That's  right,'*  agreed  Leon.    "We  offer  them 


238  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

our  hospitality  and  give  them  a  chance  to  earn  a 
good  living  and  then  they  turn  on  us. ' ' 

*  *  Some  day  the  people  of  the  United  States  will 
turn  on  them,"  said  Jacques  solemnly. 

*  *  That 's  just  what  will  happen, '  *  exclaimed  Earl. 
"They  wiU  stand  for  a  lot  over  there  and  they 
don't  get  angry  easily;  people  like  that  are  the 
worst  kind  when  they  do  lose  their  tempers.  One 
of  these  days  they'll  all  get  mad  and  those  trouble 
makers  will  wake  up  to  find  that  they've  been 
playing  with  fire." 

** There's  our  ambulance,"  said  Jacques  sud- 
denly.   ''Come  along.'* 


A 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

CONCLUSION 

"  ^  GAS  attack,"  said  a  soldier  to  Jacques 
as  he  and  his  two  companions  hastened 
out  of  the  cottage  and  started  to  climb 
into  the  ambulance. 

**The  Boches  using  gas  again?"  exclaimed 
Jacques.     *  *  That 's  bad. ' ' 

*  *  That  means  work  for  the  ambulances  and  hos- 
pitals," remarked  Leon  soberly.  ** That's  the 
worst  death  of  all. ' ' 

**But  we  all  have  masks,"  said  Earl. 

"Thank  goodness  we  have !"  muttered  Jacques. 
** All  ready?" 

"Go  ahead,"  cried  Leon  and  Earl  together,  and 
the  big  ambulance  shot  forward  with  a  rush  as 
Jacques  let  in  the  clutch  and  pressed  his  foot  upon 
the  accelerator. 

A  moment  later  they  swung  out  into  the  broad 
highway  and  sped  down  the  road  towards  their 
destination.  They  were  headed  for  one  of  the 
small  receiving  points  a  short  distance  behind  the 

239 


240  FIGHTING  IN  FEANCE 

lines  where  the  wounded  were  brought  by  the  Red 
Cross  units.  From  these  places  the  ambulances 
picked  up  the  men  and  transported  them  to  the 
base  hospitals;  from  there  they  were  moved,  if 
possible,  to  different  hospitals  throughout  France 
and  England. 

Night  and  day  the  doctors,  nurses,  ambulance 
drivers  and  the  Red  Cross  work.  Often  they  are 
under  fire  and  they  exhibit  marvelous  nerve  and 
courage  in  every  conceivable  emergency.  There 
are  many  heroes  of  the  war  who  never  fired  a  gun. 

At  top  speed  Jacques  urged  the  ambulance  down 
the  road.  The  night  was  still  dark,  and,  with  the 
scanty  lights  permitted  them,  it  was  almost  im- 
possible to  see  the  road  clearly.  Jacques  seemed 
to  take  it  for  granted  that  conditions  were  all 
right,  for  not  once  did  he  slacken  his  pace. 

The  roads  behind  the  battle-lines  are  marvels 
of  construction  and  usually  as  smooth  as  the  top 
of  a  table.  Over  these  roads  travel  the  trucks  that 
are  the  life-blood  of  the  armies,  for  they  supply 
the  material  with  which  to  fight.  Consequently  it 
is  no  cause  for  surprise  that  the  highways  are  well 
cared  for. 

"I  suppose  we'll  be  busy  for  a  long  while  now,*'' 
said  Earl  as  they  bowled  along  the  road. 


CONCLUSION  241 

**Yes,  there'll  be  plenty  who'll  need  attention 
after  this  attack,"  said  Jacques. 

"We're  safe  for  a  while  anyway,"  remarked 
Leon.  "I  wonder  why  they  sent  us  to  do  this  in- 
stead of  making  us  fight!" 

"The  douzieme  will  have  to  be  reorganized 
now,"  said  Jacques.  "The  men  remaining  will 
need  rest  and  a  chance  to  recover ;  that  is  probably 
why  we  were  detailed  to  this  ambulance." 

"We're  comparatively  safe  here  anyway,"  said 
Leon.  ' ' That  is  some  consolation,  though  I'd  just 
about  as  soon  be  fighting." 

"We're  safe  unless  a  shell  happens  to — "  be- 
gan Jacques,  when  he  was  suddenly  cut  short. 

There  was  a  violent  jar ;  the  steering  wheel  was 
torn  from  Jacques'  grasp;  the  big  ambulance 
rocked  crazily  and  then  pitched  forward.  The 
three  boys  were  thrown  headlong  from  their  seats. 

Earl  looked  about  him.  He  was  in  a  long  room 
with  high  ceilings  and  his  surroundings  seemed 
very  unfamiliar  to  him.  He  was  lying  flat  on  his 
back  and  he  tried  to  rise ;  a  heavy  weight  seemed 
to  hold  him  down  and  he  felt  a  dull  pain  in  his  leg. 
^e  discovered  that  he  was  lying  in  a  bed. 

He  turned  his  head  to  one  side  and  spied  another 


242  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE 

bed;  in  fact  the  room  was  filled  with  them.  He 
was  in  a  hospital,  but  how  had  he  been  wounded? 
He  had  no  recollection  of  it.  Every  bed  had  an 
occupant ;  Earl  looked  the  other  way  and  the  same 
sight  met  his  eye.  In  the  bed  to  his  left,  much  to 
his  amazement,  he  discovered  Jacques.  So  he  too 
was  wounded.  How  had  it  all  happened?  Sud- 
denly he  remembered  the  ambulance  and  the  vio- 
lent jar  they  had  received ;  that  must  have  been  it. 

A  white-clad  nurse  approached  his  bed. 

**Are  you  comfortable?"  she  inquired  gently. 

**Yes,"  said  Earl,  **but  how  did  I  get  here? 
What  happened?" 

**You  and  your  brother  and  your  friend  were  in 
an  ambulance  and  ran  into  a  shell  hole.  You  were 
all  thrown  out  and  your  leg  was  broken." 

"Is  my  brother  here?"  demanded  Earl  eagerly. 
'^Where  is  he?" 

*'In  this  next  bed." 

Leon  looked  to  his  right.  ''That  fellow  with 
the  bandages  all  around  his  head?"  he  exclaimed 
in  alarm.    ''What  is  the  matter  with  him?" 

"He  has  concussion  of  the  brain;  his  head  is 
also  cut." 

"Is  it  dangerous?" 

"I  think  not  now." 


CONCLUSION  243 

'  *  Thank  goodness ! ' '  said  Earl  fervently.  *  *  How 
about  Jacques?" 

**He  is  only  badly  bruised,"  smiled  the  nurse. 
**He  is  asleep  now." 

''What  do  you  think  of  us?"  demanded  Earl 
disgustedly.  *'We  fight  in  the  first  line  trenches 
for  months,  in  the  biggest  war  in  the  history  of 
the  world,  and  we  go  up  in  monoplanes  and  fight 
battles  in  the  air.  In  fact  we  do  about  everything 
dangerous  there  is  to  do  and  no  harm  comes  to 
us  at  all.  Then  we  go  out  in  an  automobile  and 
get  all  smashed  up ;  that's  a  fine  way  to  be  wounded 
in  war.    It  makes  me  sick ! " 


FINIS 


THE  BIG  WAR  SERIES 


Cloth 


By 
ROSS  KAY 

For  Boys  from  12  to  16 
12  MO. 


Illustrated 


'HE  action  of  these 

thrilling    stories 

takes  place  against 

the  grim  background  of  the 

huge  European  War. 

This  series  does  not  con- 
tain lengthy  studies  of  cam- 
paigns which  would  prove 
tiresome  to  the  younger  gen- 
eration, but  is  packed  with 
swiftly  moving  events.  Authentic,  instructive, 
and  exciting,  these  stories  of  boys*  adventures 
in  the  Great  War  are  among  our  best  and 
most  popular  series.  Read  one  and  you'll  read 
the  rest. 


^ 


1.  THE  SEARCH  FOR  THE  SPY. 

2.  THE  AIR  SCOUT. 

3.  DODGING  THE  NORTH  SEA  MINES. 

4.  WITH  JOFFRE  ON  THE  BATTLE  LINE. 

5.  FIGHTING  IN  FRANCE.    - 

6.  BATTLING  ON  THE  SOMME. 


Publishers 
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Flag    and  Country  Series 


Ootfa 


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PAUL  G.  TOMLINSON 

12  mo.  nitutrated 


y^J>.URING  the  World 
if)y  jf  War  the  German 
*  ^'^  Secret  Service  was 
notorious  for  its  ruthless- 
ness  and  for  its  expanse  into 
the  remotest  comers  of  our 
country.  Bob  Cook  and  his 
friend,  too  young  to  enlist, 
do  "their  bit"  in  thwarting 
the  efforts  of  these  plotters. 
His  experience  with  the 
German    Spy    and    the 

German  Air  Fleet  are  most  realistic  and  thrilling. 

These  are  real  boys'  books  for  real  boys. 

1  BOB  COOK  AND  THE  GERMAN  SPY. 

2  BOB  COOK  AND  THE  GERMAN  AIR  FLEET. 


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LAUGH 
with 
LANKY 


in 


the 


One  of  the  humorous  illustraiions  in  Lanky 
Lauison  the  Boy  from  Nowhere 


Brand  New 

Lanky  Lawson 

Series 

by  Harry  Mason  Roe 


In  this  series  of  books  Lanky  Lawson  tells  his  own  story 
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always  willing  to  aid  a  friend  and  equally  willing  to  give  an 
enemy  what  he  deserves,  but  often  in  a  laughable  way.  He  is 
knocked  around  from  pillar  to  post,  trying  all  sorts  of  jobs  and 
making  all  sorts  of  odd  acquaintances.  He  helps  to  bring_  a 
swindler  to  justice,  falls  in  with  an  aviator  who  takes  him 
skyward  and  he  becomes  an  attache  of  a  small  circus  that  is  on 
the  verge  of  going  to  pieces. 

Every  boy  who  reads  about  Lanky  Lawson  and  his  doings 
will  take  Lanky  right  to  his  heart — "And  that's  O.  K.  with  me,"^ 
as  Lanky  would  say. 

1.  LANKY  LAWSON,  THE  BOY  FROM  NOWHERE 

2.  LANKY  LAWSON  with  THE  ONE-RING  CIRCUS 

(Other  Volumes  in  preparation) 
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The  Camp  Fire  Boys  Series 

By  OLIVER  LEE  CXIFTON 

For  Boys  from  8  to  14 

A  group  of  resourceful  boys  living  In  a 
small  town  form  a  camping  and  hiking 
club,  which  brings  them  all  sorts  of  out- 
door adventures.  In  the  first  story,  "At 
Log  Cabin  Bend,"  they  solve  a  series  of 
mysteries  but  not  until  after  some  lively 
thrills  which  will  cause  other  boys  to  sit 
on  the  edge  of  their  chairs.  The  next 
story  telling  of  their  search  for  a  lost 
army  aviator  in  "Muskrat  Swamp"  is  just  as  Uvely.  The 
boys  are  all  likable  and  manly — ^just  the  sort  of  fellows 
that  every  other  wide-awake  boy  would  be  glad  to  go 
hiking  with. 


THE  CAMP  FIRE  BOYS  AT  LOG  CABIN  BEND 
THE  CAMP  FIRE  BOYS  IN  MUSKRAT  SWAMP  %, 
THE  CAMP  FIRE  BOYS  AT  SILVER  FOX  FARM 


THE  CAMP  FIRE  BOYS'  CANOE  CRUISE. 


THE  CAMP  FIRE  BOYS»  TRACKING  SQUADV 


/ 


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THE  AVIATION  SERIES 

♦By 
JOHN  PRENTICE  LANGLEY 

Cloth.     13  mo.,  Illustrated. 

'here  is  no  other  topic  of  such  world- 
wide interest  as  Aviation.  And  that 
interest  will  be  increased  with  proposed 

flights  to   the   South  Pole,  Japan,  and  *Round 

the  World. 

*The  Aviation  Series"  by  John  Prentice  Langley, 
an  authority  on  flying,  has  been  written  to  fur- 
ther the  interest  in  flying  and  to  tell  "Young 
America",  in  its  own  words,  the  fun,  hardships, 
triumphs  and  thrills  connected  with  this  sport. 

In  this  series  you  will  become  acquainted  with 
Amos  Green  and  his  friend  Dan,  two  of  the  most 
daring  young  Americans  you  have  ever  read  about. 

1.  TRAIL  BLAZERS  OF  THE  SKIES   -^ 

OR  ACROSS  TO  PARIS  AND  BACK. 

2.  SPANNING  THE  PACIFIC 

OR  A  NON-STOP  HOP  TO  JAPAN. 

8.    MASTERS  OF  THE  AIR-LANES 

OR  ROUND  THE  WORLD   IN  FOURTEEN  DAYS 

4.  THE  PATHFINDER'S  GREAT  FLIGHT 

OR  CLOUD  CHASERS  OVER  AMAZON  JUNGLES 

5.  AIR  VOYAGERS  OF  THE  ARCTIC 

OR  SKY  PILOTS'  DASH  ACROSS  THE  POLE. 

6.  DESERT  HAWKS  ON  THE  WING 

OR  HEADED  SOUTH,  ALGIERS  TO  CAPE  TOWN. 

Publishers 
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New  York,  N.  Y.  Newark,  N.  J. 


THE  TOMLINSON  SERIES 

BY  EVERETT  T.  TOMLINSON. 


Interest  in  school  life  is  perpetual.  Tbid 
young  student,  facing  new  surroundings, 
finds  an  element  of  romance  and  strong  ap- 
peal; and  to  the  older  graduate  college  days 
recall  some  of  the  most  pleasant  memories 
of  the  past. 

Here  are  stories  of  school  life  and  ath- 
letics, full  of  action  and  human  interest. 
They  deal  with  problems  of  life  common 
to  students  and  inspire  the  manly  attributes 
of  self-reliance  and  strength  of  charactei* 


THE  PENNANT. '  . 

CAPTAIN  DAN  RICHARDS. 

CARL  HALL  OF  TAIT. 

JACK  STONE  OF  TAIT  SCHOOU 

Giotb,  Larg0  i2mo.,  Illuatrated, 


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THE  COLLEGE  LIFE  SERIES 

By  Gilbert  Patten 
Cloth,  large  12  mo.    Illustrated 


Mr.  Patten's  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  college  life  and  college 
athletics,  is  indicated  clearly  in 
these  volumes.  They  TviH  in- 
terest alike  the  young  collegfian 
and  the  old  graduate,  for  here 
they  find  stories  of  unusual  in* 
terest  dealing  with  phases  of 
life  of  which  they  are  familiar* 


1  BOLTWOOD  OF  YALE.  I 

2  THE  COLLEGE  REBEL. 

3  ON  COLLEGE  BATTLEFIELDS. 

4  THE  CAXI,  OF  THE  VARSITY.. 

5  SONS  OF  OLD  ELL 

6  BEN  OAKMAN,  STROKE. 


PUBLISHERS 

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THE  BIG  LEAGUE  SERIES 

(Trade  Mark  Registered) 

By  BURT  L.  STANDISH 

Endoned  by  rach  Man  of  basebaUdom  as  Cbristy  Mathewton* 
Ty  Cobb  and  Walter  Johnson. 

An  American  boy  with  plenty  of  grit 
— baseball  at  its  finest  —  and  the  girl 
in  the  case — these  are  the  elements 
•which  compose  the  most  successful  of 
juvenile  fiction.  You  don't  have  to  be 
a  "fan"  to  enjoy  these  books ;  all  you 
need  to  be  is  really  human  and  alive 
with  plenty  of  red  blood  in  your  veins. 

The  author  managed  a  "Bush  Lea- 
gue" team  a  number  of  years  ago  and 
is  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  actions 
of  baseball  players  on  and  off  the  field. 
Every  American,  young  or  old,  who 
has  enjoyed  the  thrills  and  excitement 
of  our  national  game,  is  sure  to  read 
with  delight  these  splendid  stories  of 
baseball  and  romance. 


rsit 

DM 


LEFTY 
OtheBUSH 


BURTLSTANDISH 


Cloth 


Large  12  mo. 


Uluatrated 


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 


LEFTY  O'  THE  BUSH. 
LEFTY  O'  THE  BIG  LEAGUE. 
LEFTY  O*  THE  BLUE  STOCKINGS. 
LEFTY  O'  THE  TRAINING  CAMP. 
BRICK  KING,  BACKSTOP. 
THE  MAKING  OF  A  BIG  LEAGUER. 
COURTNEY  OF  THE  CENTER  GARDEN 
COVERING  THE  LOOK-IN  CORNER.   j 
LEFTY  LOCKE,  PITCHER-MANAGER,  s/ 
GUARDING  THE  KEYSTONE  SACK. 
THE  MAN  ON  FIRST. 
LEGO  LAMP,  SOUTHPAW. 
THE  GRIP  OF  THE  GAME. 
LEFTY  LOCKE,  OWNER. 
LEFTY  LOCKE  WINS  OUT. 
CROSSED  SIGNALS. 


Publishers 
BARSE  &  CO. 


New  York,  N.  Y. 


Newark,  N.  J. 


THE  YANK  BROWN  SERIES 

By  David  Stone 
Cloth  Large  i2mo.  Illustrated 

When  Yank  Brown  comes  to 
Belmont  College  as  a  callow 
Freshman,  there  is  a  whole  lot 
that  he  doesn't  know  about 
college  life,  such  as  class 
rushes,  rivalries,  fraternities, 
and  what  a  lowly  Freshman 
must  not  do.  But  he  does 
know  something  about  how  to 
play  football,  and  he  is  a  big, 
likeable  chap  who  speedily 
makes  friends. 

In  the  first  story  of  this 
series  we  watch  Yank  buck 
the  line  as  a  Halfback.  In  the  second  story  he  goes 
in  for  basketball,  among  many  other  activities  of  a 
busy  college  year.  Then  there  are  other  stories  to 
follow — each  brimful  of  action  and  interest.  This  is 
one  of  the  best  college  series  we  have  seen  in  a  long 
while, 

YANK  BROWN,  HALFBACK 
YANK  BROWN,  FORWARD 
YANK  BROWN,  CROSS- 
COUNTRY RUNNER 

YANK  BROWN,  MILER 
YANK  BROWN,  PITCHER  ^ 

YANK  BROWN,  HONOR  MAN.>/ 


PUBLISHERS 

BARSE    &    CO. 

NEW  YORK.  N.  Y.  NEWARK,  N.  J. 


THE  BOY  SCOUT  LIFE  SERIES 

Published  with  the  approval  of 
The  Boy  Scouts  of  America 


<TteBOT  SCOUT 

;fire  fighters 


In  the  boys*  world  et  rtoty 
books,  none  better  than  those 
about  boy  scouts  arrest  and  grip 
attention.  In  a  most  allurine  way, 
the  stories  in  the  BOY  SCOUT 
LIFE  SERIES  tell  of  the  glorious 
good  times  and  wonderful  adven- 
tures of  boy  scouts. 

All  the  books  were  written  by 
authors  possessed  of  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  ttis  greatest  of  all 
movements  organized  for  the  wel- 
fare of  boys,  and  are  published 
with  the  approval  of  the  National 
Headquarters  of  the  Boy  Scouts 
of  America. 

The  Chief  Scout  Librarian,  Mr. 

F.  K.  Mathiews,  writes  concerning 

them:  "It  is  a  bully  bunch  of  books.     I  hope  you  will  sell 

100,000  copies  of  each  one,  for  these  stories  are  the  sort  that 

will  help  instead  of  hurt  our  movement." 


IRVmO  CRUMP 


THE  BOY  SCOUT  FIRE  FIGHTERS— CRUMP 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS  OF  THE  LIGHTHOUSE  TROOP— 

McCLANE 
THE  BOY  SCOUT  TRAIL  BLAZERS— CHELEY 
THE  BOY  SCOUT  TREASURE  HUNTERS— LERRIGO 
BOY  SCOUTS  AFLOAT— WALDEN 
BOY  SCOUTS  COURAGEOUS— MATHIEWS 
BOY  SCOUTS  TO  THE  RESCUE— LERRIGO 
BOY  SCOUTS  ON  THE  TRAII^-GARTH 
THE  BOY  SCOUTS  IN  AFRICA— CORCORAN 
THE  BOY  SCOUTS  OF  ROUND  TABLE  PATROL— 

LERRIGO 


Publishers 
BARSE  &  CO. 


New  York,  N.  Y. 


Newark,  N.  J. 


THE  BOBBY  BLAKE  SERIES 

BY  FRANK  A.  WARNER 

BOOKS  FOR  BOYS  FROM  EIGHT  TO  TWELVE 
YEARS  OLD 


1^1  BOBBY  BLAKE 

^1  ROCKLEDGE  SCHOOL 


True  stories  of  life  at  a  mod^n 
American  boarding  school.  Bobby 
attends  this  institution  of  learn- 
ing with  his  particular  chum  and 
the  boys  have  no  end  of  good 
times.  The  tales  of  outdoor  life, 
especially  the  exciting  times  they 
have  when  engaged  in  sports 
against  rival  schools,  are  written 
in  a  manner  so  true,  so  realistic, 
that  the  reader,  too,  is  bound  to 
share  with  these  boys  their  thrills 
and  pleasures. 


1  BOBBY  BLAKE  AT  ROCKLEDGE  SCHOOIi, 
a  BOBBY  BLAKE  AT  BASS  COVE. 

3  BOBBY  BLAKE  ON  A  CRUISE. 

4  BOBBY  BLAKE  AND  HIS  SCHOOL  CHUMS. 

5  BOBBY  BLAKE  AT  SNOWTOP  CAMP. 

6  BOBBY  BLAKE  ON  THE  SCHOOL  NINE. 

7  BOBBY  BLAKE  ON  A  RANCH. 

8  BOBBY  BLAKE  ON  AN  AUTO  TOUR, 

9  BOBBY  BLAKE  ON  THE  SCHOOL  ELEVEN. 
TO  BOBBY  BLAKE  ON  A  PLANTATION. 

«  BOBBY  BLAKE  IN  THE  FROZEN  NORTH. 
12  BOBBY  BLAKE  ON  MYSTERY  MOUNTAIN. 


PUBLISHERS 

BARSE    &    CO. 

NFW  YORK,  N.  Y.  NEWARK,  N.  J. 


™"000  127  910     8 


